Ka and Ku operational considerations for military SATCOM applications

During last year´s MILCOM event (MILCOM 2011), McLain et al [1] presented a paper that provided a comprehensive comparison of Ku, commercial Ka and military Ka-band efficiencies against a number of parameters; including terminal size, regulatory restrictions, and performance in the presence of rain. This comparison showed that each band has its strengths and weaknesses, depending on the application for which it is being used (aeronautical, maritime, land based), terminal size, and operational environment (mobile and fixed). This paper provides an expanded comparison of Ku and Ka-band, focusing on operational aspects and other key considerations; including coverage resilience, operational flexibility, regulatory impacts and potential regulatory changes that would improve commercial Ka-band performance, as well as the use of hybrid (multi-band) systems to further improve performance when operating in adverse weather conditions.