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Raytheon BBN Technologies, a technology provider for defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world, reportedly demonstrated a disruption-tolerant military network, marking milestone achievements for the Wireless Network after Next or “WNaN” program that is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force Research Laboratory (News - Alert).

 

The demonstration included successful transmission of voice and data across a wireless mobile ad hoc network that was in a constant state of flux, mimicking the communications challenges that military networks confront in tactical use, company officials said.  

 

“The results prove that WNaN works in the field with affordable, commercially available radios,” Jason Redi, WNaN principal investigator, Raytheon (News - Alert) BBN Technologies, in a statement, said. “With these results, we are one step closer to getting this much needed, first-of-its-kind technology to the battlefield and putting a reliable network in the hands of every warfighter.”

 

The WNaN network operates on low-cost radio hardware to establish a wireless network that adapts to changing conditions and enables warfighters to communicate on the battlefield despite frequent disruptions and high demand.

 

According to company officials, the field experiment conducted by Raytheon BBN Technologies demonstrated the network's ability to avoid interference from hostile signals and continue operation even when large numbers of warfighters try to use the channel at once.

 

The field experiment included 10 WNaN mobile handheld radios that participated in multiple, simultaneous call groups and delivered situational awareness data despite communications disruptions.

 

It also included software that automatically assigns the best frequencies for use by each device as the warfighters move and the mission needs change. It is supported with techniques that allow the network to scale to hundreds of nodes in a single group without the need for a fixed network infrastructure.

 

The network has the capability to relay voice transparently over more than four different network radios so that soldiers can communicate reliably regardless of their location on the battlefield, according to official sources.

Raytheon BBN Technology network software operates in concert with radio hardware developed by COBHAM, an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced aerospace and defense systems for land, sea and air, the company said.

 

Recently Raytheon BBN Technologies announced it has been awarded an $81 million contract by the Army Research Laboratory to create a collaborative technology alliance in network science.