A recent experiment by the Air Force\u2019s Air Mobility Command successfully provided so much data to crews that leaders now have to rethink the user interface to accommodate that amount of information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a June 6 experiment, AMC tested a new tactical data link system that Air Force leaders thought would provide airmen with increased situational awareness through high bandwidth, beyond line-of-sight communications capabilities and faster data processing speeds. Lt. Col. Bradley Rueter, AMC Capability Development branch chief, said the new capability is a \u201cgamechanger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the exercise, which simulated an airdrop of ground forces into a contested environment near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the Air Force changed how and how fast it was sending data to crews aboard two C-17s. AMC used commercial satellite communications, which according to Rueter, are \u201chundreds of times faster than what we traditionally use,\u201d in addition to a \u201cslightly different\u201d protocol to send those messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two planes were also outfitted with an upgraded computer with higher processing speeds. Overall, the new tech allowed for higher refresh rates to keep up with changes in the battlespace. The success of the mission will improve the effectiveness of joint operations in contested environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The experiment was successful overall, Reuter said. Crews\u2019 situational awareness going into the area increased drastically. Usually, he said, crews check in with events in the battlespace by radio 15 to 20 minutes before entering the area. But with the new technology the service was testing on this mission, \u201cthese two crews were tracking it for hours beforehand,\u201d Rueter said in an interview with C4ISRNET.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crews with the new technology could track what the simulated adversary was trying to do to stop them, what friendly forces were doing and how the fight was progressing in \u201creal time,\u201d Rueter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne individual who has flown this same profile about eight different times \u2026 said this was the most situational awareness he\u2019s ever had,\u201d Rueter said. \u201cSo what those two crews were able to know compared to the \u2026 other parts of the formation that didn\u2019t have this new technology was huge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Removing the bandwidth impediment that had stymied communications in the past allowed the air service to identify new problems they hadn\u2019t been able to identify before, said Rueter. With the bandwidth problem removed, the service learned that user interface used by crews wasn\u2019t designed to handle as much information as was coming in at the new speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you can put that much information – more information than we\u2019ve ever seen before – quicker, that user interface requires some changes,\u201d said Rueter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This data transfer experiment puts the Air Force one step closer to the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) push being made across all the services, an effort to link sensors and shooters across domains. In the next year, Rueter expects to see experiments with KC-135s, KC-46s and C-130s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGen. [Maryanne] Miller (commander of AMC) likes to comment that \u2018wherever there\u2019s a fighter, there\u2019s a tanker.\u2019 If we are already there, we should be able to enjoy the benefits of this networked joint force, but we should also be contributing and sharing to that cooperative understanding as well,\u201d Rueter said. \u201cSome of our assets may just be there to pass information, some of them may be providing their own data from their own systems. We don\u2019t really know what all that will look like, we know we\u2019ve got assets in or near the edges of the battlespace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n