Design of Tactical Airborne Vehicle Communication Systems: An Approach

The present day communication systems fitted on airborne vehicles has undergone a massive change in the recent past. The conventional analog hardware dependent radio design has been replaced with digital radio technology where, most of the functionalities are defined & performed in software. Airborne tactical platforms include fighter, transport aircraft, helicopters and Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV) or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Unlike conventional communication system design, the radio design for tactical airborne platforms need to consider additional requirements V.I.Z restriction in size, volume, weight, availability of cooling air, structural mounting & its location on platforms. In addition, the systems has to meet the regulatory requirements such as, establishing compliance to various military standards for variation in power supply, compatibility with onboard avionics for electromagnetic interference & aircraft operational environmental conditions e.g. vibration, thermal, acceleration, shock, humidity altitude etc. Thus, the communication system design for tactical airborne platform is challenging which involves the domain expertise of aerodynamics, mechanical, electrical, electronics, computers, digital signal processing & antenna design etc.Although, most of the radio system requirements are generic across platforms, some requirements may be specific to platforms that need to be addressed separately during system design. Also, the basic design requirements of communication system differ vastly for commercial & military applications in terms of avionics interface, environmental specifications. This paper is aimed at bringing out the basic design requirements to be met by any Airborne Tactical Communication System (ATCS) that intends to be integrated on any airborne platform.