SAN DIEGO, Calif., 8 Jan. 2009.Cubic Defense Applications, the defense systems subsidiary of Cubic Corp., revealed that its iPod-sized low-power data link performed well during recent high-profile military flight tests at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.
Sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Command (ESC), the tests evaluated technologies developed by the ESC 653rd Electronics Systems Group, Airborne Network Enterprise Division (ESLG/ANE), and several companies engaged in efforts to prototype an advanced mobile network for use in network-centric warfare.
During the CAPSTONE II tests, the 653rd ESLG/ANE Office, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the Navy's Surface Aviation Interoperability Laboratory (SAIL) tested various technologies. MIT's Lincoln Laboratory set up the overall networking system, and Cubic and other participants were invited to supply data links, directional antennas, networking technology, and other applications for integration into the airborne network.
Cubic provided the electronically switched beam (ESB) antenna developed for its Team-Portable Common Data Link (TP-CDL) program, as well as the iPod-sized Air Data Terminal (ADT) that the company developed for its Miniature Common Data Link (CDL) System. This ADT connected with a SAIL ground terminal at very long ranges, up to 90 nautical miles during one flight, in a difficult line-of-sight environment. The Cubic equipment tested consists of a Miniature CDL modem, a single circuit board computer and a radio frequency (RF) element for transmitting and receiving.
Dr. John Boyd, chief scientist, Advanced Programs Business Development, for Cubic Defense Applications, says: "We believe the U.S. Department of Defense needs a high-speed network with RF segments to realize their goal of a Global Information Grid (GIG) for all U.S. military services around the world. To enable network-centric operations, network RF links for mobile platforms must support rates at least comparable to cable-modem service. This experiment helped refine our objectives and will improve our next phase of research and development."
