By John McHale
QUANTICO MARINE BASE, Va. - U.S. Marine Corps leaders are using video communication technology from Datapath Inc. in Duluth, Ga., for their Video Storage Wide Area Network (VSWAN).
“Surveillance and actionable intelligence are critical to supporting successful missions in Iraq while providing our Marines with an added level of safety,” says Capt. David Joseforsky, LSWAN/VSWAN/Ku VSAT project officer, Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC).
“As such, it was essential that we harness leading-edge technologies to increase visibility into potential threats and deploy the solutions quickly.”
Marine Corps Expeditionary Forces deployed new Boeing Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Iraq to obtain video images of the theater of operations The UAVs capture high-density video-as large as 6 megabytes vs. 3 megabytes per second for high-definition cable broadcasts-and deliver expanded flight durations.
Marine Corps experts required a solution to download and disseminate the video to a series of qualified theater command points-to multicast live video across Iraq. The Marines Corps needed a high-density storage and retrieval solution to leverage both real-time video feeds and establish an infrastructure for video-on-demand storage and playback capabilities.
The field operatives also required a system able to endure the rigors of desert climate, warfare wear and tear, as well as provide the mobility to support communications on the quick halt (COTQH). Finally, responding to urgent battlefield requirements, the Marines needed a customized solution right away.
The MCSC designed the video storage wide area network (VSWAN) project to use satellite communications with a secure wireless communications infrastructure to disseminate UAV video feeds to select theater command posts. The VSWAN cannot be accessed on the move but on the pause, Joseforsky says. Vehicles and personnel cannot be moving when using the system.
DataPath, a global telecommunications systems integrator specializing in satellite earth terminals and network solutions, provided a solution is based on customized versions of its DataPath ET Model 2000 Portable for battlefield communications.
DataPath delivered five flyaway earth terminals in 60 days. Shipped to Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) at Camp Pendleton, Calif., for testing, the earth terminals were airlifted to Iraq after two weeks’ testing at Camp Pendleton.
The DataPath 2000s feature 1.8-meter antennae, each fitted with an antennae control unit (ACU), which empowers Marine operators in theater to locate or “peak up” on a satellite automatically to establish connectivity. The ACU empowers operators to press a button and peak up in five to 10 minutes-a process that takes 30 to 40 minutes if handled manually, DataPath officials say.
The Earth terminals deliver all Internet Protocol (IP) network reliability and the speed of Ethernet connectivity. The DataPath platforms feature the Cisco IPTV Server that compresses, encodes, and decodes video.
Cisco IPTV features limited archive capability. Therefore, DataPath augmented these capabilities by integrating a six-terabyte file server into each platform to provide required storage capacity. With these capabilities, each DataPath 2000 empowers the Marines to multicast live video from the UAV, pull on-demand video from archives, and also FTP files among the command locations.
“Robust, reliable communications transform traditional peacekeeping operations by enabling front-line forces to capitalize on the resources and intelligence being gathered by the UAVs and transmitted via VSWAN,” Joseforsky says.
The VSWAN platforms have proved adaptable and portable. Shipped in ruggedized transit cases that fit easily in a truck, the DataPath 2000s have delivered 99-percent-plus uptime, company officials say. Easy for two men to set up in less than one hour, the earth stations are continually redeployed to support moving operations, Datapath officials say.
Deployed forces required multilevel security to ensure the integrity of sensitive information, so the DataPath 2000s feature two routers with a Taclane between the two routers. The red router transmits and receives classified information, the black router unclassified. The Taclane empowers the Marines to transmit encrypted classified information and open unclassified information through the systems’ single antenna.
The Taclane uses Type 1 encryption for security, Joseforsky notes.
Moving beyond the technical specifications, the VSWAN project provides the Marine Corps with new in-theater visibility and intelligence to conduct reconnaissance, coordinate mission planning, as well as fine-tune air and artillery targeting.
Intelligence analysts access real-time information and leverage on-demand video to assess the latest developments across the theater of battle. Consistent with the Department of Defense transformation initiatives, the Marine Corps leverages the very best information to analyze the current situation and guide operational forces.
“Looking to the future, we are focused on increasing the mobility and sustainability of Marine Corps in-theater satellite communications capabilities,” Joseforsky says. “We plan to mount the Earth terminals and network equipment on trailers and Humvees-with built-in generators and air conditioning. This increased communications agility will provide an important tactical weapon for expeditionary forces.”
For more information on DataPath go online at www.datapath.com.
