High Altitude Router and Relay for Over-the-Horizon Networks

The US Naval Research Laboratory has been working on testing processing and transponded payload configurations for the high altitude router and relay (HARR) project to achieve a viable long range end-to-end mobile ad-hoc wireless network in a tactical environment. HARR has the potential to provide closed network communications and other tactical capabilities between nodes separated by over 200 miles, and at a relatively reduced cost. The system has at least one re-useable relay payload and at least two ground nodes. The relay payloads have the capability to send and receive signals to and from ground nodes as well as to other relay stations. The ground nodes have apparatus for acquiring, tracking, and determining the location of relay stations that are aloft. Our paper describes the integration of various commercial off the shelf (COTS) systems to construct this network, as well as an analysis of collected test data using unicast and multicast transport protocols in an IP based environment