Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2021 - 24

RF & Microwave Technology
JADC2: Building the U.S. Military's Internet of Things
Today, Meyer and others at Raytheon
F
Technologies are working in support of
a U.S. Department of Defense initiative
to give military personnel something
much better than what he had - quick,
seamless access to intelligence from any
system in the battlefield.
Officially, that initiative is called
Joint All Domain Command and Control
(JADC2). Unofficially, it is a military
Internet of Things - a way to connect
traditionally separate networks,
ingest and analyze data from sensors
across the globe and in space, then
serve it up to operators and commandor
years, Paul Meyer's job in the U.S.
Air Force was to suppress enemy air
defenses. To do that, he had to know
where they were and what they were
doing. And to do that, he and the pilot
of his F-4 Phantom II had to get close
enough to show up on their radars.
" My job was to play chicken - to put
myself in that environment where I
have to fire my missile before he fires
his, " said Meyer, a retired weapon systems
officer and now vice president of
Space and C2 Systems at Raytheon Intelligence
& Space, a Raytheon Technologies
business.
ers in context and with options on
what to do next.
" Historically, when we communicate
in a large battle, every service kind of
takes their own approach - an air-centric
approach, a ground-centric approach,
a navy-centric approach, " said
retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John
Dolan, a former director of operations
at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and now a
vice president at Raytheon Intelligence
& Space. " JADC2 is all domains at once,
and we've never had that. "
The data that will flow through JADC2 will enable the military to better plan and execute its movements
on land, at sea, in the air, and in space. (Raytheon Technologies)
A KC-135 aircraft - a plane traditionally used only for refueling bombers and tactical fighters - can double
as a communications hub to the joint force. (Raytheon Technologies)
24
Intro
Cov
www.aerodefensetech.com
ToC
+
-
Secure Communications
JADC2 will look a lot like a commercial
network, with data clouds, lots of signal
relays, and nodes all over the world both
collecting and contributing information.
But adapting that commercial approach
to a military setting takes something
more; namely, security and durability.
The data that will flow through
JADC2 will enable the military to better
plan and execute its movements on
land, at sea, in the air, and in space.
That makes the information a prime target
for adversaries - not just to intercept
it but to alter it and throw military
operations off-course.
Raytheon Technologies has a strong
presence in secure communications
across the military services. Collins
Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies
business, provides secure HF, VHF, and
UHF radios; satellite voice; data communications
systems; and jam-resistant
data links. Raytheon Missiles & Defense
is working with research and development
organizations across the military
to use approaches such as software-defined
apertures, intelligent information
distribution, and multi-level security -
a way to ensure operators can access the
right data on the right nets. Those
methods would help link platforms and
synchronize their actions across extremely
long distances in contested environments.
The
key, said Ryan Bunge, Collins'
vice president for Communications,
Navigation, and Guidance, is making
those systems adaptable, flexible, and
easy to upgrade, so that they meet the
services' future needs - even those they
Aerospace & Defense Technology, December 2021
A
µ
È

http://www.aerodefensetech.com http://info.hotims.com/79420-922

Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2021