Program Overview

Lincoln Laboratory is working with the Department of Defense, government agencies, and industry to deliver the Global Information Grid vision. Efforts in this area include transport, network and data services, computer network operations, and applications. Emphasis is on extending a robust networking capability to deployed space, air, land, and marine platforms. Lincoln Laboratory also identifies, develops, and field tests new architectures, component technologies, and algorithms for the following:

  • Satellite communications
  • Aircraft and vehicle radios
  • Network nodes
  • Wideband sensor networks
  • Network operations centers
  • Speech processing systems

Advanced Apertures

In collaboration with industry, the Laboratory is working to realize low-profile, low-cost, multiband antennas for use on wide-body and fighter aircraft. The antenna apertures are designed to support the data rates necessary for network operations while having minimal impact on platform performance.

Lincoln Laboratory apertures provide protected communications on the move.

Communications on the Move

The Laboratory continues to be involved in solutions for communications on the move. Apertures and algorithms developed at the Laboratory have enabled protected communications on the move. A programmable digital core consisting of field programmable gate arrays, digital signal processors, and a general-purpose computer has been developed; the digital core is capable of processing a wide spectrum of communications waveforms, ranging from line-of-sight radios to protected satellite communications.

Networking Capability

Lincoln Laboratory conducted a series of operator-on-the-loop evaluations of airborne network nodes and architectures, teaming with industry to compare the impact of different network architectures on mission outcomes. Testing was done with pilots using real-time, full-motion flight simulators. In another initiative, flight-test campaigns were carried out to assess the effectiveness of airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; airborne networking; and network middleware concepts.

Computer Network Operations

In response to the problem of ensuring the security of information traveling over networks, the Laboratory has developed the Lincoln Adaptable Real-time Information Assurance Test bed (LARIAT). By providing a high-fidelity emulation of large-scale networks with up to 1,000s of hosts and 10,000s of users, LARIAT is employed in evaluating the effectiveness of information security tools and techniques. LARIAT has already been deployed to several government facilities. The Laboratory has also demonstrated a system that assesses the security of enterprise networks and automatically recommends changes to eliminate vulnerabilities.

Transformational Communications Satellite (TSAT)

Working with industry, the Laboratory used the TSAT test and evaluation infrastructure it developed to validate standards for RF signaling waveforms, network protocols, and free-space optical signaling. The Laboratory also used the test environment to perform a series of independent tests at Laboratory and contractor facilities to support the TSAT Technical Readiness Assessment and TSAT Source Selection.

Transformational Communications Satellite (TSAT) test terminal

 

 

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