Satellite Tactical Communications at High Latitudes

• Main Author: Matheson,K. L.
• Other Authors: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE OTTAWA (ONTARIO)
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1983
• Subjects: *Satellite communications; *Tactical communications; High latitudes; Command and control systems; Military operations; Canada; Arctic regions; Component reports; Arctic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADP002145; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADP002145

Canada spans about 90 degrees of longitude and has requirements for tactical command and control communications as far north as to at least 84 degrees north latitude. These facts create unique problems when considering requirements for communication by satellite relay. The trend in military satellite communication for tactical purposes is towards the EHF spectrum. For currently practical power aperture levels geostationary EHF satellite communications are not considered likely to be militaryily reliable for a country with high latitudes such as Canada. This paper examines the use of inclined elliptic semi-synchronous orbits to solve this problem. It is concluded that a highly elliptic inclined semi-synchronous orbit possesses significant advantages for EHF tactical communications at latitudes common to military operations in the Arctic. This article is from 'Proceedings of the Symposium on Military Space Communications and Operations Held at USAF Academy, Colorado on 2-4 August 1983,' AD-A135 021, p5-17.