The Air Force released a request for information notice to identify data links for integration into airborne ISR capabilities.
The datalink will be integrated into an ISR system with air and ground segments and standard commercial interfaces. The notice indicated the throughput intent is to transfer MPEG and JPEG imagery from airborne sensors to dedicated ground stations.
"The ground segments consist of handheld tactical receivers and fixed ground operator console. The data link provides Line-of-Sight (LOS) connectivity between the aircraft and tactical receivers, or between the aircraft and ground operator console," the notice said. "The proposed solution would identify an airborne datalink hardware and associated antennae, appropriate tactical receiver hardware, and complementary ground station datalink hardware and antenna."
According to the notice; "the proposed datalink solution will be incorporated as part of an integrated ISR capability. A single data link system consists of: one (1) externally mounted omni-directional antenna, one (1) externally mounted directional antenna, one (1) airborne datalink hardware set, one (1) ground datalink hardware set, one (1) ground directional antenna, and two (2) hand held tactical receivers. The airborne hardware components must be certified for flight use / operations."
The solution must be capable of operating in areas of high moisture, humidity and vegetation with 95 percent reliability under clear line of sight operation and compatible with standard interfaces for throughput.
Mark Pomerleau is a reporter for C4ISRNET, covering information warfare and cyberspace.
