Surrogate Digital Radio network architecture development for Task Force XXI

The Surrogate Digital Radio (SDR) is a wideband UHF packet radio that was selected to provide data connectivity for Army Battle Command Systems (ABCS) during the brigade sized Task Force XXI battlefield digitization exercise in March 1997. Wireless connectivity of brigade, battalion, and support element local area Ethernet networks on which ABCS application workstations were resident was accomplished using two interconnected SDR networks consisting of a total of twenty-six nodes. This paper describes the development of the SDR network architecture for the TFXXI exercise. It includes a description of the overall data network architecture, SDR characteristics, and how the radio was adapted to meet the application requirements. Experimentation conducted in the CECOM Digital Integrated Laboratory (DIL) with the SDR and various dynamic routing protocols, and how the lessons learned were applied toward establishing the SDR architecture and optimizing the network performance are also discussed.