NEW HARTFORD, N.Y., July 30, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has successfully integrated and tested its Joint Capability for Airborne Networking (JCAN) system for aeronautical and land vehicular applications. This new capability will enable mobile secure Internet protocol (IP) router network connectivity to airborne and ground platforms using existing legacy radios and commercial wideband data links.
JCAN is middleware that enables a global airborne network framework that supports collaboration and enhanced situational awareness among mobile command, control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms.
"In a highly dynamic and changing environment, warfighters need the tools to receive information to react in a timely manner," said Wood Parker, president of the Intelligence group at Northrop Grumman's Information Technology (IT) sector. "This capability provides reliable and cost effective information sharing at any time, in any place, using diverse media types such as UHF and SwiftBroadband."
As part of a research project sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, Rome, N.Y., and the U.S. Air Force Communications Agency, Northrop Grumman integrated and tested Thrane & Thrane's INMARSAT SwiftBroadband aeronautical and Broadband Global Area Network land vehicular broadband services.
"JCAN's advanced quality of service and bandwidth management mechanisms optimize the data flow over both tactical and commercial data links, providing more bandwidth to the warfighter at a lower cost," said Daniel Hague, technical program manager for Airborne Networking, Air Force Research Laboratory.
JCAN's flexible design enables a powerful set of information exchange capabilities for manned and unmanned aircraft. JCAN provides a mobile IP-based airborne network infrastructure that supports user-defined, prioritized data flow over varied types of media such as UHF SATCOM, HF, INMARSAT and Iridium.
JCAN is currently deployed onboard military aircraft in support of communications among U.S. Air Force and Army personnel deployed in the Middle East. It is also under evaluation for additional Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft. In addition to providing an information exchange capability for our warfighters, JCAN is being tested as an enabling capability for border patrol and law enforcement personnel.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.