USAF & Rockwell Collins complete flight test demonstrating Wideband HF connectivity
NewsAugust 24, 2016
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. The U.S. Air Force and Rockwell Collins collaborated in a demonstration to transfer data from a C-17 airborne aircraft to a ground station over a Wideband High Frequency (WBHF) channel. The event took place over the duration of a two-day flight between Dover AFB Delaware and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, using a Wideband HF Receiver-Exciter configured for airborne operation.
The demonstration included the transfer of streaming video, real-time chat, file transfers, and digital voice audio. Over the two-day exercise, the teams were able to validate performance and reliability with changing variables that included the environment, geographical position, and time of day. Also demonstrated during this event, the transfer of data over a distance of more than 1,500 miles.
WBHF is a reliable solution for the transfer of data, including video, and a complement to traditional SATCOM communications in denied environments. The results leverages the platform’s current HF system infrastructure to create an HF solution with performance that has not been available, says Mike Jones, vice president and general manager, Navigation & Electronic Warfare Solutions.
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