Proceedings Article | 7 June 1996
Proc. SPIE. 2764, Digitization of the Battlefield
KEYWORDS: Radar, Switches, Clocks, Surgery, Synthetic aperture radar, Medical diagnostics, Free space, Data communications, Health sciences, Asynchronous transfer mode
This paper will review the deployment, demonstration, and test of an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network to support the Air National Guard `Global Yankee' field exercise held at Fort Drum, New York. The network provided forty five (45) megabit per second (mbps) ATM connections between the Air Operations Center (AOC) and Forward Operating Location (FOL) located at Fort Drum, the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center located in Syracuse, New York and Rome Laboratory located in Rome, New York. Connections were made with both fiber and free space equipment. The fiber connections used were part of the existing ATM New York Network (NYNet) between Rome Lab, SUNY Health Science Center and NYNEX Corporation. This network was extended to Watertown, New York by NYNEX to provide connectivity to Fort Drum. The free space links were provided by commercial DS-3 (45 mbps) radios, and 2 to 6 mbps Troposcatter Satellite Support Radios (TSSRs). This paper will also discuss significant digital Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence enhancements to the battlefield provided by the deployed ATM network. For example, videoconferencing and shared workspace capability was demonstrated over the AOC-to-FOL TSSR link, enabling remote intelligence briefings, pilot Battle Damage Assessment, and Search and Rescue coordination. Remote Medical Diagnostics videoconferencing with MRI high resolution digital imagery was demonstrated between the FOL, AOC, and SUNY Health Science Center. Finally, the network provided connectivity between the AOC and the Joint Surveillance System (JSS) radar's located at Griffiss Air Force BAse. The JSS data combined with the Rome Lab developed Radar Analysis Program provided AOC personnel with air picture areas of interest.
