EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF 5G ENABLED DATALINKS FOR AVIATION COMMAND AND CONTROL
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Authors
White, Brian J.
Subjects
5G
fifth generation
Command and Control
C2
low probability of detection
signature management
aviation
millimeter wave
mmWave
fifth generation
Command and Control
C2
low probability of detection
signature management
aviation
millimeter wave
mmWave
Advisors
Roth, John D.
Date of Issue
2021-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Per the 38th Commandant’s Planning Guidance, the Marine Corps’ forces must “operate and persist within range of adversary long-range fires.” Marine command posts and units need to reduce their electromagnetic signatures to operate effectively in future conflicts. This constraint presents a particular challenge for aviation Command and Control (C2) operations because they rely on ultra-high frequency, omni-directional radio transmissions, which are highly susceptible to adversary direction finding systems. A possible solution to this problem is using low probability of detection millimeter wave (mmWave) communications enabled by the fifth generation (5G) cellular technology. Using 5G antenna array beam steering capability could create strong mmWave datalinks between aircraft and ground stations while the signal attenuates outside of the beam, remaining undetectable by an adversary. This research evaluated the feasibility of using 5G enabled mmWave communication for aviation C2 by observing the trade space between using narrow antenna beams and maintaining antenna pointing accuracy. The study found that given adequate signal-to-noise ratio, antenna pointing accuracy increased for arrays generating thinner beams at practical beamwidths when using signal direction of arrival estimation for antenna alignment. This finding indicates that mmWave communication system designs are not limited by beamwidth and have potential for aviation C2 applications.
Type
Thesis
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Department
Information Sciences (IS)
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NPS Report Number
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Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
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This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.