Photo By David Sussman | Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division engineers and scientists inflate the...... read more read more
PANAMA CITY, Fla – Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) scientists and engineers successfully demonstrated the ability to maintain high bandwidth and continuous communication to offshore vehicles, April 23-27, 2012, in Panama City, Fla.
The NSWC PCD Rapidly Elevated Aerostat Platform (REAP) XL B System test was conducted to demonstrate a command and control capability to reach unmanned vehicles within the NSWC PCD Operations Area from the Littoral Warfare Systems Facility Mission Package Integration Laboratory.
“The test successfully demonstrated the ability to maintain high bandwidth continuous communications from dockside at NSWC PCD through St. Andrew Bay to test ranges in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Mike Grunden, project manager (Code A32). “The REAP XL B system enables and enhances NSWC PCD ability to conduct fully integrated at-sea experimentation and testing from a shore based facility.”
Presently located on the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City, Fla., the Adaptive Force Package Mobile Test Bed includes a REAP XL B system, one of only three in the world, and NSWC PCD has the only one in the United States. NSWC PCD’s vision and planned implementation for this technical capability includes a plan to reduce Navy costs by conducting at-sea testing and training from a shore-based location.
"NSWC PCD initially will use it to extend the communications range to unmanned vehicles to control them from shore." said Jay Doane, C3 Senior Systems Engineer, (Code A30M), NSWC PCD. "Operating unmanned vehicles from shore instead of loading two 20-foot containers with C4 equipment on a ship and operating from sea will reduce testing and training costs."
The primary purpose of the REAP XL B test was to map the range and area within the Panama City Operations Area that a REAP XL B system can be effectively used as a repeater station to extend the line of sight range for relaying data from a vessel offshore back to NSWC PCD. The secondary purpose was to provide additional/refresh training on the launch and recovery of the REAP XL B system to NSWC PCD personnel.
REAP XL B is a part of the Adaptive Force Package Mobile Test Bed used by NSWC Panama City Division personnel, in support of the Littoral Combat Ship mine warfare mission package. However, this technology is not confined to specifically Littoral Combat Ship mine warfare mission package capabilities.
The Adaptive Force Package Mobile Test Bed is a series of state-of-the-market servers that are actually a developmental, deployable, platform independent computational and communications capability. Together, with the aerostat, the Adaptive Force Package Mobile Test Bed offers a new joint and expeditionary warfighting capability to conduct multi-mission planning, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and data analysis from an adaptable, modular, open architecture test bed. The Adaptive Force Package Mobile Test Bed is a new, unlimited computational relay opportunity complete with an aerostat, to reduce testing and training costs for expeditionary warfighters.
The aerostat is a zeppelin-like balloon and the system collectively meets the Secretary of Defense’s call to deliver rapidly deployable, agile, adaptable capabilities that are inexpensive, innovative and technologically advanced, according to NSWC PCD project managers.
The Adaptive Force Package Mobile Test Bed with REAP XL B system is available for use through the NSWC PCD LWSF Service Cost Center. A video of aerostat and REAP is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1L5rxareVA&feature=youtube
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2012 14:57 |
| Story ID: | 87677 |
| Location: | PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 375 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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