MilsatMagazine.com Satellite Communications for net-centric warfare January 2008 Vol. 1 No. 4 COMMUNICATIONS IN HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS Plus Priority Briefing: Colonel David C. Uhrich Vice Commander, Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing CONTENTS MILSATMAGAZINE COVER STORY 30 Priority Briefing With Robert N. Canty 16 Satellite Communications For Late in November of 2007, Ray- Hostile Environments theon Company was awarded a US$160M, 18-month competi- by Dr. Axel Jahn, Managing Director, TriaGnoSys tive contract to develop a new Communication is central to managing situa- system design for the nexgen tions in any hostile environment, be such in the Global Positioning System Con- military sphere, in response to an emergency, or trol Segment. The U.S. Air Force when dealing with a major disaster. Must-haves Space and Missile Systems Cen- for communication solutions in hostile environ- ter awarded the contract. ments are reliability, robustness, security, porta- bility and ease of operation. 34 Antarctic Mission For Royal Navy Earlier this year, international satellite communications solution provider, NSSL, sponsored a crack team of Royal Navy personnel FEATURES from HMS Endurance, the Royal Navy’s Antarctic ice patrol ship, as they attempted to set a world record by kayaking around James 4 Priority Briefing With Colonel David C. Uhrich Ross Island, off the coast of Antarctica. “At the macro level, the [Military Satellite Com- munications Systems] Wing is responsible for wideband and protected MILSATCOM satel- lites, command and control systems, ground systems and terminals.” 13 Focus ON... MILSATCOM SYSTEMS WING by Hartley Lesser One element within the vast Space and Missile Systems Center 35 Focus ON... ADVANCED EXTREMELY is the U.S. Air Force’s Military Satellite Communications Systems HIGH FREQUENCY SYSTEM SATELLITE Wing, otherwise known as MCSW. SYSTEM (AEHF) The Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) System is a joint service satellite communications system providing global, secure, Vol. 1 No. 4 protected, and jam resistant communications for high-priority mili- tary ground, sea, and air assets. January 2008 20 Satellite Network Acceleration by Nick Yurin Once viewed as an ad hoc addition to the occasional Department of Defense (DoD) satellite network, accel- 37 Priority Briefing With Marc LeGare CEO, eration technologies are now an essential component in Proactive Communications, Inc. modern military satellite architecture. “I moved into the satellite communications busi- ness in 2003 after serving as a Battalion Com- mander for the U.S. military. In that role, I un- 23 Comms On The Move—Quit Stalling Around! derwent military communications training and by Karl Fuchs, Director of Federal gained hands-on experience with some of the most cutting edge digital battle command technology Systems Engineering, iDirect in the world. My battalion was the first digitized, Government Technologies mechanized infantry battalion in the US Army. ” Providing this high level of service poses some key technical challenges to satellite providers. 26 Military Satellites and Rockets—No More Failures! REGULAR DEPARMENTS by Dr. Len Losik, President, Failure Analysis Prognostics allows for the identification and re- 03 EDITOR’S LETTER pair or replacement of unreliable piece parts and 35 FEATURED SATELLITES electro-mechanical components at the factory or 39 MILITARY NEWS OF INTEREST on the launch pad, all prior to launch. As most of the equipment testing at the factory is designed to identify equipment that has failed, prognostics allows for reduced testing, shortening delivery schedules, and reducing labor hours. EDITOR’S LETTER I hope you have already availed youselves calendar for 2008 as well as our author’s of the gigantic, info-packed December guidelines… and they are just that, guide- MILSATMAGAZINE 2007 issue of SatMagazine, our YEAR IN lines. I look forward to hearing from you Production Team REVIEW issue. That particular issue of- regarding that. fered satcom and ancillary business ex- EDITORIAL pertise from those who know best—the This issue offers a superb lineup of ar- companies who successfully maintained ticles with a focus on the military side of Silvano Payne and sustained throughout 2007. In addi- satcom. Leading the article parade are Publisher tion, those fine folk also offering a look our three PRIORITY BRIEFINGS WITH… into this New Year, this 2008, and offered features. An interview with Colonel David Hartley Lesser their prognostications for a most inter- Uhrich, Vice Commander, Military Satel- Editorial Director esting read! The power of the experts is lite Communications System Wing of the [email protected] yours to read, digest and use in your daily Space and Missile Center at Los Ange- P.J. Waldt work at the SatMagazine website. les Air Force Base, leads the way. Robert Editor Canty, the Director of DoD Systems, of However, there’s even more company Space Systems, Raytheon, is our second Chris Forrester news that should be especially of value interview and he reviews his company’s Editor, Europe to our readers! Our publishing company’s contract for the nexgen Global Positioning creative director, Simon, has designed System Control Segment and other issues. Michael Fleck and created a complete magazine-on- Our third PRIORITY BRIEFINGS WITH of- Editor, Asia & Enterprise Markets a-website... no longer will you have to fers a follow-up interview with Marc Le download a “.pdf” file to read Milsat- Gare, the CEO of Proactive Communica- Martin Jarrold Magazine or SatMagazine. Simon has cre- tions Inc., and a veteran in every sense of Marketing Intelligence ated the code enabling our thousands the word within the satcom industry. of readers to approach and enjoy our CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS publications ONLINE in magazine format. Other superb content offerings include Incorporated into this online mix are easy Axel Jahn to use navigation buttons that’ll have you • Dr. Axel Jahn, the Managing Director of Tri- Nick Yurin cruising through feature articles, col- aGnoSys writes concerning Satellite Com- Karl Fuchs umns, news and more, quickly and eas- munications For Hostile Environments Len Losik ily. In fact, reading MilsatMagazine and • Satellite Network Acceleration by Nick Robert Canty Yurin, the Director of Sales and Market- SatMagazine is now similar to the way in Marc Le Gare ing for Global Protocols, Inc. which you’ve been reading our daily and • iDirect’s Karl Fuchs, the company’s Di- SALES weekly news at our news website. rector of Federal Systems Engineering, discusses Comms On The Move Jill Durfee We hope you enjoy the new online format • Dr. Len Losik, the founder of Failure Advertising Director and find the content stimulating, usable Analysis, reveals the whys-wherefores- [email protected] and pertinent to your work. Yes, you may and how-comes of failure prediction tech- continue to download the “.pdf”—we be- nology for military satellites and rockets PRODUCTION lieve you will find the new online format • A chilly case study involving a kayaking extremely easy to use, but it is always nice team from the Royal Navy in the Antarctic Simon Payne to have a choice—you can also print and/ • A military satellite focus on AEHF Creative Manager • In addition, of course, some news you or email each article directly from the can use. webpage, or forward the “.pdf” to associ- Published quarterly by ates. Your comments are always welcome. Satnews Publishers Thanks for joining us, once again, and 800 Siesta Way, Additionally, I wish to again offer my don’t forget to write… let us know your Sonoma, CA 95476 USA “open door” policy… if you wish to write a thoughts regarding our content, let me Phone (707) 939-9306 feature article, an op-ed piece, a spotlight, know if you wish to contribute, but most Fax (707) 939-9235 E-mail: [email protected] suggest an interview, send news or com- of all, my best wishes to each and every Website: www.milsatmagazine.com pany event information, please do so! Sim- one of you for a prosperous and happy © 2008 Satnews Publishers ply send an email to me so I may review NEW YEAR! your proposal and reply to you as soon as is possible. I would also be pleased to forward to any requestors our editorial January 2008 MILSATMAGAZINE.COM COLONEL DAVID C. UHRICH Vice Commander, Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California by Hartley Lesser, Editorial Director, SatNews Publishers ed control systems. WGS will also provide a quantum leap in com- munications bandwidth for marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen. Hartley In fact, the first WGS satellite will provide more throughput than Good day, Colonel Uhrich. We are delighted you are able to take the the entire DSCS constellation combined. In addition, WGS will not time to help us understand the role of your command and the major only support X-band communications, but will also have 10 Ka military satellites systems the MILSATCOM Systems Wing (MCSW) de- antennas to support a wider variety of military communications velops, acquires and sustains. Can you tell us a little about the Wing? requirements. WGS’ digital channelizer will allow on-orbit cross banding between X and Ka-band users. Colonel Uhrich At the macro level, the Wing is responsible Both DSCS and WGS are wideband satellite communications systems. for wideband and protected MILSATCOM satellites, command and control systems, Hartley ground systems and terminals. These sys- What does the inclusion of the Ka antennas mean to the warfighter? tems operate in the Super High Frequency and Extremely High Frequency bands of the Colonel Uhrich electromagnetic spectrum. The U. S. Navy First, our Global Broadcast Service, which I’m sure we’ll talk has similar responsibilities for narrowband or Ultra High Fre- about later, will us WGS’ Ka capability to service to increase it’s quency communications satellites and systems. coverage area, which means more troops out in the field will have access to GBS.