AT-7000 Series Multifunctional Communications & SIGINT Antenna System
AEROMARITIMEs AT-7000 Series Multifunctional Communications & SIGINT Antenna System for submarines was developed to meet both the multifunctional communications and signal intelligence requirements to detect and evaluate communicative (COMINT) and non-communicative (ELINT) signals. The AT-7000 series antenna has the same form and fit factors as its predecessor, the AT-4000 Series.
The emerging communication technologies in the civilian sector provide an opportunity for the naval industry to expand military communication needs and new combat requirements as they are available in the market, technically mature and affordable. While communication technologies such as VHF, UHF, etc. remain an essential part of naval military communication, other technologies such as 2G, 4G, 5G, WLAN, etc. can expand the scope of naval military communication services.
Certain naval communication systems already include the tactical private 4G LTE communication network to achieve sufficient throughput for reliable data collection in real time and over long distances (1). The attractiveness and high efficiency of 5G technology make it necessary to consider the implementation of civilian standards in the military domain. Since the direct use of civilian standards in military systems cannot simply be adopted due to various premises, the civilian 5G standard is currently being evaluated for its usability in military applications (2). In addition, 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) is also being developed as a future communication technology. 2G technology can be retained as a backup solution for military naval communication systems. WLAN technology can be used to set up tactical private ad hoc networks (3).
In addition to the need for mobile communications, navies around the world also need signal intelligence systems to combat all modern threats, e.g. to detect and neutralize drones.
To enable all these functions, navies around the world prefer a powerful, compact all-in-one multifunction and signal intelligence antenna and antenna subsystems, especially for submarines, due to limited space.
The AT-4000 multifunctional communications antenna system for submarines is one of the best-selling antennas that Aeromaritime Systembau GmbH has supplied to various navies around the world over the last 40 years. It includes VLF/HF-Rx, VHF, UHF, IFF, Link-16 and L-Band SatCom functionalities. The AT-4000 antenna system was developed as a communications antenna and is not intended for signal intelligence. As a consequence, a new antenna system has been developed that is suitable for both the signal intelligence and military naval communications, including the communication technologies mentioned above.
The AT-7000 series antenna system consists of the antenna itself, a communication interface (COM-IF), a SIGINT interface (SIGINT-IF) module that can be connected to most third-party signal analyzers & recording systems, and the Aeromaritime’s Radio Frequency Distribution Unit RFDU.
As a multifunctional communications antenna, the AT-7000 covers VHF-LoS, UHF-LoS, IFF, Link-16 and L-band services, with Inmarsat-C and Iridium being the most popular L-band services. In addition, the AT-7000 also provides 2G, 4G and 5G cellular- and WLAN services. It has receive-only functionality for VLF and HF bands.
In signal intelligence mode, the AT-7000 captures electromagnetic signals from its environment in the range from 10 kHz to 6 GHz and evaluates the captured signals in the signal analyzer and recording system after passing through various interfaces.
The communications interface (COM-IF) module serves as an interface between the AT-7000 antenna and various communication radio devices. The main functions of the COM-IF include supplying the electronic components in the COM-IF itself and the antenna with DC power and control signals, switching between different communication paths, and filtering. The COM-IF also provides an interface to the signal intelligence interface (SIGINT-IF) module which performs filtering and multiplexing of signals received via various antenna elements and provides an interface to the signal analyzer and recorder system.
The Radio Frequency Distribution Unit (RFDU) is an optional component of the AT-7000 antenna system. If a communication system contains more than one VHF LoS, UHF LoS and GPS antenna, these multiple antennas can be easily and efficiently connected to the corresponding radios using the RFDU unit.
The Signal Analyzer & Recorder system evaluates the signals detected by the AT-7000 antenna. Although the Signal Analyzer & Recorder system is a central component of the signal evaluation, it is not offered by Aeromaritime Systembau GmbH. There are several signal analyzer & recorder systems on the market and the AT-7000 antenna system is compatible with most of them.
References:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-private-4g-lte-solved-communications-issues-dcns-kareen-frascaria
Zmysłowski, Dariusz, et al. "Naval use cases of 5G technology." TransNav: International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation 17.3 (2023).
https://atos.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/atos-airlynx-tactical-private-lte-network-brochure.pdf
Contact:
AEROMARITIME Systembau GmbH +49-8165 - 6171 - 0
D-85375 Neufahrn www.aeromaritime.de
Germany info@aeromaritime.de
