CAMBRIDGE, Mass., 20 Aug. 2008. BBN Technologies won $8.9 million in funding from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the third phase of its Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) program. This latest award follows BBN's completion of Phases One and Two, which resulted in a working prototype system.
The primary goal of the DTN program is to develop and field network services that deliver critical information reliably even when no end-to-end path exists through the network.
Traditional TCP/IP networks rely on stable end-to-end connectivity, but terrain, weather, jamming, and movement or destruction of nodes can interrupt the path and halt the flow of message traffic, says a representative. The BBN DTN system can send and receive data reliably even when no stable end-to-end paths exist.
Under this latest award, BBN scientists and engineers will integrate the DTN system into fielded military networks that may combine several different types of nodes, including wireless, satellite, and vehicle-mounted.
"DTN is a good example of how DARPA works with organizations such as BBN to push the development of needed technology," says Tad Elmer, president and CEO, BBN Technologies. "DTN represents a fundamental shift in networking protocols that will result in military networks that function reliably and securely even in the changing conditions and challenging environments where our troops must succeed now and in the future."
