Design of secured, high speed two way RF data link for airborne vehicle communication

The data-link is a key subsystem for any Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV), Surface to Air Missile (SAM), Air to Air Missile (AAM) and Air to Surface Missile (ASM). It provides two-way communication, either upon demand or on a continuous basis. An up-link provides control of the air vehicle flight path and commands to its payloads. The downlink provides both a low data rate channel to acknowledge commands and transmit status information about the aerial vehicle and a high data rate channel for payload data such as video, radar and navigation. In this paper we describe a novel secured, two way, high speed RF command and video data link system which enables real time, high speed, continuous data exchange between aircraft/missile/high dynamic vehicles and ground entities and vice-versa. This system uses advanced spread spectrum modulation, spread spectrum coding and decoding techniques to ensure signal security and multi-user access. This paper also discusses the RF data link system design issues faced in its development and the methods, technologies employed to overcome these challenges. It describes the system Architecture, behavioral operation and validation of the system. It also details successful demonstration of the technology and future plans for improvement of signal security and range of operation.