For example, Curtiss-Wright offers high-performance embedded computing components (called building blocks by company officials) that help control and process data from 5G signals. “At Curtiss-Wright, we don’t think of ourselves as a solution provider; we think of ourselves as a hardware provider,” Southworth says. “We provide the building blocks that will be part of the 5G architecture.”
Curtiss-Wright specializes in rugged 3U VPX computer boards in small form factors optimized for small size, weight, and power consumption for military applications. “We are developing the first software defined radio card,” Southworth says. “The nature of it being software defined means what frequencies you want it to operate at. This could be a fundamental building block for 5G.”
Embedded computer designers have technology that could benefit 5G, but the path for this technology is not one-way. 5G vision will also help guide embedded computing suppliers into future products and applications.
“What wireless communications brings to the Department of Defense and the embedded community is a distributed architecture that is different from the cloud,” explains Mercury’s Dunn. “Wireless is mobile, always on, and adjusts its quality of service as you move. This is a great example of a distributed communications infrastructure. Now you have an infrastructure-as-a-service in your mobility model. There are real-time needs for voice, data, etc., and 5G is just another addition to this model that is likely to be useful for the C4ISR industry, where mobility is one of the most important aspects of the tactical edge. Become.”
Wireless technology for cellular communications is “maturing very quickly, creating opportunities for the embedded world in general,” Dunn says. “We are now in a new wave where technologies such as broadband wireless communications are starting to make their way into the defense sector.” RF from analog RF to field programmable gate array FPGAs to monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) Cell phone technology is “targeting the opportunities it offers to defense,” Dunn said.
There is still a lot of development work required before advanced 5G technologies, such as millimeter wave signals, become practical for military and commercial users, Dunn said, adding, “We are integrating some of these technologies into our products. “We expect it to take another 1-2 years to mature,” he added. We can see that it is widely adopted. ”
5G military plans
The U.S. Department of Defense has designated several military bases as 5G testbeds to test enabling technologies and enable new 5G military applications. Just last month, the Department of Defense announced a $600 million contract for 5G experimentation and testing at five military proving grounds, representing the world’s largest full-scale test of 5G for dual-use applications.
These five sites are Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Naval Base San Diego, California. Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, Georgia. Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. and Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
5G Testing and Experimentation at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will sponsor tests of augmented reality and virtual reality training. The contractor involved on this site is his GBL Systems Corp. of Camarillo, California. AT&T Corp., Bedminster, New Jersey. Vectrus Mission Solutions Corp., Alexandria, Virginia, and Deloitte Consulting LLP, New York City.
These contractors will work with military experts to build scalable, resilient, and secure 5G networks and develop 5G-enabled virtual and augmented reality testbeds for mission planning, distributed training, and operational use. Offers.
Experiments at Naval Base San Diego include 5G smart warehouse transshipment. The contractor is AT&T. GE Global Research, Niskayuna, New York. Vectrus Mission Solutions. and Deloitte Consulting. These tests are aimed at developing a 5G-enabled smart warehouse with a focus on transshipment between land-based facilities and naval units, and include naval logistics such as identifying, recording, organizing, storing, retrieving, and transporting materiel and materiel. Improve operational efficiency and fidelity.
Marine Corps Base Albany will focus on 5G vehicle smart warehousing. The contractor is his Federated Wireless Inc. of Arlington, Virginia. GE Research; KPMG LLP (Amstelveen, Netherlands); Scientific Research Corp (SRC), Atlanta; These tests will develop his 5G-enabled smart warehouse focused on vehicle storage and maintenance.
The Nellis Air Force Base test includes distributed command and control. The prime contractor is AT&T, which will develop a testbed to apply 5G technology to lethal air, space, and cyberspace applications while increasing command and control survivability. 5G networks can help decentralize and mobilize existing command and control architectures in agile combat employment scenarios.
Testing at Hill Air Force Base includes the use of dynamic spectrum. The contractor is Nokia Corp., Espoo, Finland. General Dynamics Mission Systems, Fairfax, Virginia. Booz Allen Hamilton of McLean, Virginia; Key Bridge Wireless LLC (McLean, VA) Shared Spectrum Co. (SSC) of Vienna, VA. Ericsson is located in Stockholm, Sweden.
