El espectro radioel\u00e9ctrico se ve saturado por la gran cantidad de se\u00f1ales existentes en el campo de combate,\u00a0muchas de ellas en la misma frecuencia,\u00a0drones a\u00e9reos que transmiten datos de vigilancia, operadores en tierra y comandantes en el campo, etc. Debido a que todos est\u00e1n en una frecuencia congestionada, lo que deber\u00edan ser transmisiones casi instant\u00e1neas, se hacen m\u00e1s lentas a medida que pasan los segundos.\u00a0X-Net, un nuevo sistema de comunicaciones por radio que selecciona de forma aut\u00f3noma e instant\u00e1nea la frecuencia de radio \u00f3ptima para las operaciones.<\/p>\n
![\"Soldiers](\"https:\/\/www.raytheon.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2018-10\/BlackjackSIZED.jpg\")
The signals are flying fast and furiously. Everybody’s on the same frequency; overhead\u00a0drones transmitting surveillance data, operators on the ground and\u00a0commanders in the field.\u00a0And because everyone is on a congested frequency, what should be near-instantaneous transmissions slow\u00a0as the seconds tick by.<\/p>\n
On the battlefield, those seconds can mean\u00a0the difference between success and failure. The answer could be\u00a0X-Net, a new radio communications system that autonomously and instantly selects the optimal radio frequency to keep\u00a0communications flowing.<\/p>\n
The radio, which is designed for use with missiles, stand-off precision guided munitions and small unmanned autonomous systems, connects host platforms to the tactical network. It made its debut earlier this year at a demonstration hosted by the\u00a0Air Force Research Lab and the U.S. Navy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past few years, it\u2019s been a huge accomplishment to make sure everyone operates from the same network,\u201d said Bob King, a program manager at Raytheon\u2019s Integrated Communication Systems. \u201cHowever, now that we\u2019re all on the same page, operators need to share all that radio frequency space and can transmit without disruption. We call that \u2018playing nice\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the demonstration, dubbed ESCAPE, Raytheon swapped out two existing radios on a Navy RQ-21A Blackjack for the company’s\u00a0X-Net system. Its mission was to allow the host platform to freely operate in a dense signal environment and conduct its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.<\/p>\n
X-Net performed the flight control operations and video transmission job of the legacy radios, and also allowed the Blackjack to flip its own switch to the best radio frequency for operations. In fact, it continuously hopped radio signals to avoid\u00a0busy frequencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were jumping frequencies often because of the different emitters that were out there,\u201d said David Duran, a Raytheon engineer and a member of the demonstration team. \u201cNot once did we get a call or hear from anybody that any of the communications were being stepped on.\u201d<\/p>\n
As more platforms connect to communications networks, it will be vital to keep frequency space optimized for military operations, where information must quickly be\u00a0shared.<\/p>\n
“This was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate new mission capabilities –\u00a0such as mesh network radios with dynamic spectrum access like the X-Net Radio –\u00a0into the RQ-21A, which will lead to significant improvements in battlefield communications,” said Steve Brown, mission systems lead for RQ-21A Blackjack.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Now that it\u2019s proven it can work in congested environments, X-Net could be an option for use in contested environments. It could potentially thwart an\u00a0enemy\u2019s attempts to jam crucial radio frequencies.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve already seen examples of adversaries trying to disrupt or completely destroy our information advantage on the battlefield,\u201d said Barbara Borgonovi, vice president of Raytheon Integrated Communication Systems. \u201cX-Net is a part of a solution to make sure those attacks never work.\u201d<\/p>\n