Darpa Cracks Radio Incompatibility Problem Once and for All

[humble3d]

Darpa Cracks Radio Incompatibility Problem Once and for All

After more than 10 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon’s research group has announced a new system that could help U.S. troops and multinational forces communicate — a problem that frequently plagued the countries’ cooperation in the field.

Darpa’s nearly-completed Mobile Ad-Hoc Interoperability Gateway (MAINGATE) is said to overcome the “technical incompatibility between communications systems [that] can hinder information sharing and timely command and control decisions.” The latest version of the system will soon make its way to Afghanistan, even as U.S. forces draw down.

“MAINGATE is designed to be a potent communications force multiplier for joint and combined forces,” said Keith Gremban, DARPA program manager, in a statement. “From a radio perspective, MAINGATE allows coalition forces to plug in their own radio systems and MAINGATE takes the necessary steps so everyone can communicate in real time.”

Darpa has been developing MAINGATE since 2008, awarding Raytheon an initial $155 million contract in 2009 to make the concept into a reality. Certain elements of the project have already been used into U.S. Army systems.

The system relies on two technologies to provide an interoperable network for connecting forces. A high capacity Wireless IP Network (WIPN) radio provides a “terrestrial ‘Everything over IP’ backbone” with enough capacity to simultaneously support many channels of voice, video and data. The second is MAINGATE’s Interoperability Gateway, which provides interconnectivity for otherwise incompatible communications equipment. According to Raytheon, MAINGATE provides 10 megabits per second to a network of as many as 128 nodes that could include drones, ships, bases and vehicles on the ground.

“We’re transitioning a proven capability that can be kept up to date with the latest IP technology standards,” said Gremban. “Just as a smartphone offers the capability to do more than make phone calls, MAINGATE is much more than a radio—it’s a backbone architecture enabling video, data and voice sharing among a diversity of networks and devices.”

According to Darpa, MAINGATE is designed to accommodate upgrades with future technologies, so that the system stays as current as the latest commercial IP-based communication tools to provide the most advanced capabilities to front-line troops.

Afghanistan will likely not be the only opportunity the Pentagon has to deploy MAINGATE, and Darpa also points out that it could support emergency first responders where multiple agencies and organizations often have incompatible communications systems.

_http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/12/connecting-warfighters/

[Ambrocious]

I like how they always will tell you about something from DARPA and then pretend that it's for "life saving" when DARPA is a militarized research facility. I like the idea of new technology but could we for once start creating more technology for something OTHER than warfare? It seems that there are two branches of technological advances in the world today: game systems with better graphics and military applications and weapons of war. It's easier to enslave your mind with highly addictive games while at the same time they create new ways to track/hunt/kill people. If our government spent nearly half it's time on research towards diseases and other things of greater value to life, we would be in a lot better place today. At least we got PS4's and XboxONES's to keep us distracted until it's time.

[Ballistic Gelatin]

Afghanistan will likely not be the only opportunity the Pentagon has to deploy MAINGATE, and Darpa also points out that it could support emergency first responders where multiple agencies and organizations often have incompatible communications systems.

It's highly likely that this technology could be adapted for civilian use among public safety agencies. Radio-system incompatibility has been a persistent (and, at times, dangerous) issue in municipalities. This would be a good example of Technology Transfer, something for which NASA is well known.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Ballistic Gelatin

[jtmulc]

I like how they always will tell you about something from DARPA and then pretend that it's for "life saving" when DARPA is a militarized research facility. I like the idea of new technology but could we for once start creating more technology for something OTHER than warfare? It seems that there are two branches of technological advances in the world today: game systems with better graphics and military applications and weapons of war. It's easier to enslave your mind with highly addictive games while at the same time they create new ways to track/hunt/kill people. If our government spent nearly half it's time on research towards diseases and other things of greater value to life, we would be in a lot better place today. At least we got PS4's and XboxONES's to keep us distracted until it's time.

Not to justify it, but war and conflict have often been a driving force of technological advancement. Airplanes, while not invented for war, saw great development during WWI. Plastic surgery began as way to rehabilitate wounded soldiers. Jet engines, rockets, and SUVs have roots in WWII. GPS started as a way to aim munitions and guide troops. Not everything has its origins in warfare, but a lot of what we use has come from finding peaceful ways to use our toys once we're done killing eachother with them.

[Ambrocious]

I like how they always will tell you about something from DARPA and then pretend that it's for "life saving" when DARPA is a militarized research facility. I like the idea of new technology but could we for once start creating more technology for something OTHER than warfare? It seems that there are two branches of technological advances in the world today: game systems with better graphics and military applications and weapons of war. It's easier to enslave your mind with highly addictive games while at the same time they create new ways to track/hunt/kill people. If our government spent nearly half it's time on research towards diseases and other things of greater value to life, we would be in a lot better place today. At least we got PS4's and XboxONES's to keep us distracted until it's time.

Not to justify it, but war and conflict have often been a driving force of technological advancement. Airplanes, while not invented for war, saw great development during WWI. Plastic surgery began as way to rehabilitate wounded soldiers. Jet engines, rockets, and SUVs have roots in WWII. GPS started as a way to aim munitions and guide troops. Not everything has its origins in warfare, but a lot of what we use has come from finding peaceful ways to use our toys once we're done killing eachother with them.

That is very true but I wish there was a better way to motivate all of humanity to strive for greatness rather than creating wars with one another.

[jtmulc]

I like how they always will tell you about something from DARPA and then pretend that it's for "life saving" when DARPA is a militarized research facility. I like the idea of new technology but could we for once start creating more technology for something OTHER than warfare? It seems that there are two branches of technological advances in the world today: game systems with better graphics and military applications and weapons of war. It's easier to enslave your mind with highly addictive games while at the same time they create new ways to track/hunt/kill people. If our government spent nearly half it's time on research towards diseases and other things of greater value to life, we would be in a lot better place today. At least we got PS4's and XboxONES's to keep us distracted until it's time.

Not to justify it, but war and conflict have often been a driving force of technological advancement. Airplanes, while not invented for war, saw great development during WWI. Plastic surgery began as way to rehabilitate wounded soldiers. Jet engines, rockets, and SUVs have roots in WWII. GPS started as a way to aim munitions and guide troops. Not everything has its origins in warfare, but a lot of what we use has come from finding peaceful ways to use our toys once we're done killing eachother with them.

That is very true but I wish there was a better way to motivate all of humanity to strive for greatness rather than creating wars with one another.

Welllllll...... German work with the V-2 rockets gave us ICBMs capable of destroying cities across the globe (and WD-40¹), but it also gave us the space program. Civilian space research and exploration have yielded some amazing results as well as the ability to talk to people across the globe instead of killing them.

¹ WD-40 was first developed as an anti-rust agent for Atlas missiles.