11 January 2008

In a recent demonstration at the US Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms, California, Swift Engineering, working with Northrop Grumman, has validated the utility of its 4th generation KillerBee (KB4) unmanned aircraft systems as linked tactical communications relays. In the December 2007 'Beyond Line of Sight Tactical Communications Relay (BTCR)' demonstration, two KB4 air vehicles were sequentially launched and flown simultaneously to link remote ground units operating well beyond line of sight.
The use of two KB4's under control by a single ground station established a ground-to-air-to-air-to-ground network

relay that extended tactical communications to over-the-horizon ranges. DSD understands this experiment to be the first of its kind.According to Swift Engineering, the KB4 air vehicles were configured in the field with a series of communications relay payloads based upon EPLRS, SecNet 11, and MeshNet capabilities.The demonstration proved the reliability and compatibility of the KB4 command and control (C2) links, the KB4's pilot situational awareness video link, and the various communications payloads.
Secure voice, data, and video flow were maintained by the ground units across the various communications payloads, demonstrating the KB4's ability to handle multiple payload configurations as may be demanded by specific expeditionary mission requirements.
According to Rick Egan, President of Swift Engineering: "The BTCR demo validated the KB4's effectiveness as a communication relay platform capable of integrating data, voice, and C4ISR capabilities and opening the door for unmanned systems to serve another critical role in support of the warfighter."

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