NEW RADIO NETWORKS FOR TACTICAL COMMUNICATION

Future military tactical communication networks must be highly mobile, survivable, and reconfigurable. Basically, the existing systems consist of a digital trunk network of switches mounted in vehicles and interconneted by multichannel radio relays. Subscriber access takes place directly by field lines through multiplexer equipment which cosite the switches or indirectly through radio relay tails. Some form of node access is necessary in order to service the most mobile units and to make extensive use of trunk bearer capacity. This paper presents a packet-switched radio system designed and developed for the Norwegian Army. In particular, the paper discusses the development of an overall network concept, the network and access protocols, and the routing strategy. Network synchronization and radio access protocols are discussed and simulation results are given. Finally, the radio design allowing integration of ECM protected data and voice is presented. © 1990 IEEE