The airborne network definition project: a network architecture effort for future battlefield networks that enable network-centric warfare

The Airborne Network Definition (AND) project had the goal of creating and testing a robust, efficient network architecture networking all elements of the battlefield. This effort has since been generalized to fit the goals of the Mobile Edge Network System Architecture (MENSA) effort. The network is designed to be self-contained, attaching to fixed backbone infrastructure whenever possible. The fundamental building block of the architecture is the Small Combat Network (SCN), which integrates heterogeneous ground and air platforms, facilitating collaborative applications such as Blue Force Tracking, Cooperative Sensing and Targeting. The architecture uses the concept of an IP core to network unlike domains (radio types) and to connect the SCN to the backbone and the Global Information Grid (GIG). This paper describes the requirements of the network and outlines the technical design of the SCN architecture. We present step-by-step descriptions of a communication on the SCN which highlights some of the key features of the architecture. We present results of a simulation that applies our proposed architecture to realistic warfighting scenarios. Results show that the architecture enables cooperative applications and point to future work that will design and evaluate a deployable AN network architecture.