JTRS Update
Wideband Networking Waveform Performs Successfully in Field Experiment.
Over the course of several weeks from late August to October, Joint Program Executive Office JTRS and Army Electronic Proving Ground personnel evaluated Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) version 3.1 performance at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., during Ground Mobile Radio (GMR) Field Experiment 4 (FE-4). Overall, WNW demonstrated a loadcarrying capacity, quality of service, reachability and latency consistent with expectations.
The operational role of WNW is that of a high data-rate backbone. Tests at the field experiment clearly indicate that mobile ad hoc networking technologies can be deployed in the field and provide critical information to the warfighter while forces are on the move. Ultimately, WNW must be demonstrated to scale to 250 nodes in a network. GMR FE-4 extended the use of WNW to 12 pre-engineering design model GMR nodes installed on a variety of vehicles at the Electronic Proving Ground. The nodes were spread over a 400 square kilometer area of operation. Instrumentation operated at the Electronic Proving Ground injected simulated message traffic based on scripts developed by the JPEO’s GMR program office and captured the messages at each node. A variety of scripts were used to evaluate WNW performance in two network configurations for both static and mobile scenarios. Future Combat Systems provided four nodes to augment the eight nodes provided by the JPEO’s JGD program office.
WNW demonstrated approximately 350 Kbps network-aggregate load capacity for a single network of 12 nodes without external support. Nodes were separated by 2 to 22 kilometers, and half of the nodes were on the move for some of the test events.
A critical capability demonstrated was the performance of the network under “overload” conditions, where the message traffic exceeds the system capacity given the geometry (affecting the data rate on individual links and the number of relays required) and radio configuration. In particular, the data shows that when the offered load exceeds system capacity, lower-precedence traffic is dropped instead of higher-precedence traffic. In a more complex configuration, the 12 nodes were reorganized into three sub-networks linked by two gateway nodes. WNW demonstrated up to 800 Kbps network aggregate load for this configuration under the same test conditions as the single network events.
Future tests in 2009 will expand the number of nodes to 30 in laboratory settings. A Ground Mobile Radio System Integration Test in 2010 will expand the number to 35 nodes, use upgraded and more powerful engineering design model GMR, and demonstrate compatibility with Army command and control systems in simulated tactical exercises. With improved hardware, WNW is designed to handle traffic loads of 2 Mbps (threshold) with up to 5 Mbps (objective) over extended operational areas. ♦
