Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2004-03 Study of wireless transmission protocol technology for use in flight line environment to assist the data uploading and downloading on aircraft Meng, Ow Keong Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/1638 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS STUDY OF WIRELESS TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL TECHNOLOGY FOR USE IN FLIGHT LINE ENVIRONMENT TO ASSIST THE DATA UPLOADING AND DOWNLOADING ON AIRCRAFT by Ow Keong Meng March 2004 Thesis Advisor: Bert Lundy Second Reader: Donald V. Z. Wadsworth Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED March 2004 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Study of Wireless Transmission Protocol Technology for Use in Flight Line Environment to Assist the Data Loading and Downloading on Aircraft 6. AUTHOR(S) Ow Keong Meng 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Presently, the required data file to be loaded onto the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) onboard the F-16 aircraft is done manually by the aircraft technicians, two to three hours prior to the actual flight time. This process should be automated. As such there is a need to look into the use of wireless transmission technology to complement or replace the manual method of loading the critical data file from the command station onto every F-16 aircraft. The present wireless technology is relatively mature and stable. In this thesis, the feasibility of incorporating and adapting this technology for use in the flight line environment is examined. The propagation effect in wireless transmission is also studied and recommendations proposed with regards to the installation of wireless facilities in the flight line. In addition, the EDNA, a portable maintenance aid that comes with the F-16 aircraft for loading the data file, has to be upgraded. Hence, a system feasibility study is carried out to adapt or upgrade the present equipment to wireless transmission capability. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES IEEE 802.11b, EDNA, WLAN, FSO, Wireless Transmission Protocol, Radar Warning Receiver, 141 Aircraft, F-16. 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UL NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited STUDY OF WIRELESS TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL TECHNOLOGY FOR USE IN FLIGHT LINE ENVIRONMENT TO ASSIST THE DATA UPLOADING AND DOWNLOADING ON AIRCRAFT Ow Keong Meng Major, The Republic of Singapore Air Force Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 1995 Master of Science (Communication and Network Systems), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2002 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL March 2004 Author: Ow Keong Meng Approved by: Bert Lundy Thesis Advisor Donald V. Z. Wadsworth Second Reader Dan Boger Chairman, Department of Information Sciences iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT Presently, the required data file to be loaded onto the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) onboard the F-16 aircraft is done manually by the aircraft technicians, two to three hours prior to the actual flight time. This process should be automated. As such there is a need to look into the use of wireless transmission technology to complement or replace the manual method of loading the critical data file from the command station onto every F-16 aircraft. The present wireless technology is relatively mature and stable. In this thesis, the feasibility of incorporating and adapting this technology for use in the flight line environment is examined. The propagation effect in wireless transmission is also studied and recommendations proposed with regards to the installation of wireless facilities in the flight line. In addition, the EDNA, a portable maintenance aid that comes with the F-16 aircraft for loading the data file, has to be upgraded. Hence, a system feasibility study is carried out to adapt or upgrade the present equipment to wireless transmission capability. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 A. BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................1 B. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY ...............................................................................1 C. APPROACH.....................................................................................................2 D. OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................3 II. F-16 AIRCRAFT AND ALR-69 SYSTEMS OVERVIEW......................................5 A. OVERVIEW OF F-16 AIRCRAFT ...............................................................5 B. F-16 EVOLUTION ..........................................................................................6 C. F-16 C AND F-16 D........................................................................................11 D. ALR-69 (RADAR WARNING RECEIVER) SYSTEM OVERVIEW .....15 III. IEEE 802.11 WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW ....................................21 A. OVERVIEW...................................................................................................21 B. BRIEF HISTORY OF IEEE 802.11 WIRELESS PROTOCOL...............21 C. FREQUENCY SPECTRUM FOR IEEE 802.11 WIRELESS PROTOCOL...................................................................................................25 D. DIFFERENT IEEE 802.11 WIRELESS STANDARDS.............................26 1. IEEE 802.11 Original.........................................................................26 2. IEEE 802.11b......................................................................................26 3. IEEE 802.11g......................................................................................27 4. IEEE 802.11a......................................................................................28 E. HOW DOES IT WORK ................................................................................30 1. Access Points.......................................................................................31 2. Wireless Client Adapter ....................................................................31 F. WIRELESS LAN CONFIGURATIONS .....................................................33 1. Independent Wireless LANs .............................................................33 2. Infrastructure Wireless LANs ..........................................................34 3. Micro Cells and Roaming..................................................................34 G. WIRELESS LAN TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS ..........................................35 1. Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) [From 6]...............35 2. Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) [From 6] .....................36 3. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) [From 8] ..........................................................................................................36 H. SECURITY IN WIRELESS LAN ................................................................36 I. CONSIDERATIONS FOR WIRELESS NETWORKING........................38 1. Range and Coverage..........................................................................38 2. Throughput.........................................................................................38 3. Integrity and Reliability ....................................................................38 4. Interoperability with Wired Infrastructure ....................................38 5. Interoperability with Wireless Infrastructure ................................39 6. Interference and Coexistence............................................................39 7. Simplicity and