Future Navy support of joint operations using enhanced SHF SATCOM capabilities

The Navy is expanding its communications capabilities in support of joint tactical operations. The use of Super High Frequency (SHF) satellite communications (SATCOM) is greatly expanding across the fleet. As this expansion evolves, the Navy will use new networking approaches to increase communications flexibility and make efficient use of assigned satellite resources. This paper presents new concepts for SHF SATCOM to support joint tactical operations. These concepts support planned SHF SATCOM services and networks using an updated WSC-6 terminal installed on many Navy platforms. Also, in this paper the satellite resources required to support new Navy capabilities are estimated for an example deployment. In addition, an approach using direct ship-to-ship SHF SATCOM links is considered. Also, a method for optimizing satellite transponder loading is introduced.<>