Considerations of Connecting MANETs Through an Airborne Network

Airborne backbone networks spanning large geographical areas are starting to be deployed with high-capacity links. With the proliferation of mobile ad-hoc networks, an airborne backbone network may have visibility to many, otherwise distinct and isolated, mobile ad-hoc networks. In this scenario, the airborne backbone network can provide a high-bandwidth connection between MANETs. Due to the size and complexity of these networks, methodologies must be developed to accurately simulate and emulate the proposed networks in order to facilitate better understanding and design enabling effective deployment of this vital communication subsystem. In this paper, the impact of the dynamics in a mobile ad-hoc network and the resulting control plane activity is being investigated and a methodology for emulating MANETs during a flight test utilizing an airborne network is presented