 The L-3-developed Airborne X-Band SATCOM System consists of airborne and ground hardware. Control of the system is accomplished directly on the aircraft or remotely via the SATCOM link. The airborne segment interfaces to the user's network via a user-provided workstation PC. Interfaces provided are Ethernet for command & control and RS-422 for voice, data and telemetry. The ground segment provides identical interfaces but also includes a local control PC. This can be used to control the system in the event the user-provided workstation PC is remotely located. The system also includes a Digital Gateway Unit to provide dial-up telephone connectivity to Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN's). Additional detail on each of the segments is provided as follows.
Airborne Segment.
The airborne segment consists of an Airborne SATCOM Data Processor (ASDP) and an antenna.
The ASDP is packaged in a standard 19" rack mounted chassis. Primary components include the modem, multiplexer, RF converter, control processor, DGU and power supplies. The environmental design is based on a manned aircraft installation, although unmanned air vehicles can be supported. The ASDP supplies RF, control and power to the antenna. Connections between the ASDP and the antenna are via coaxial cable and shielded cable. Waveguide is not required.
The airborne antenna is a 2-axis design employing a "splash plate" fed elliptical reflector and carbon fiber yoke. The elliptical reflector design is conducive to aircraft installations requiring a low profile to minimize radome size and aerodynamic drag. The use of a carbon fiber yoke and composite reflector provide low weight and high dynamic response. Major components of the antenna include the yoke, reflector, feed, Microwave Power Module (MPM), LNA, diplexer and pedestal. The antenna is designed for fuselage mounting in a non-controlled environment.
Ground Segment
The ground segment consists of a Ground SATCOM Data Processor (GSDP) and a laptop PC.
The GSDP is packaged in a standard 19" rack mounted chassis. Primary components include the modem, multiplexer, IF converter, control processor, DGU and power supplies. The environmental design is based on a standard office environment. The GSDP interfaces to the SATCOM ground station via a standard 70 or 700 MHz IF and to the user workstation via Ethernet and RS-422.
The laptop PC provides direct control of the system from the SATCOM ground station. This may be required if the user communication workstation PC is remotely located. In this scenario L-3 can provide additional hardware to support connectivity to the remote location via high data rate telephone lines.
L-3 also designs and builds 2.4 meter, 3.8 meter, 6.2 meter and 11.3 meter fixed and transportable satellite ground stations capable of communicating with the airborne segment.
|
