INFORMATION ADVANTAGE


That equates to 2.1 to 2.5 gigabits per sec- ond (Gbps) of communications—enough to transmit, per second, approximately 3 million Web pages, 400 Predator video feeds, or 0.5 high-resolution CT (com- puted tomography) medical scans.


McClintock described WGS as not just a “bigger pipe” but “more pipes,” with the ability to switch between pipes on the satellite, coming up on one frequency and going down on another. “In the case of Ka-band, MET has the capability to operate simultaneously on both polariza- tions, thereby combining the capability of two earth terminals into one antenna,” he said.


TERMINALS IN TRANSIT


Shown here is a 7.2-meter transportable terminal along with a van. The van compartment closest to the antenna includes space for antenna reflector panels and other antenna parts after they are disassembled. The compartment farthest from the antenna is the Integrated Equipment Shelter, which contains the electronics associated with antenna movement and signals to and from the antenna. (Photo courtesy of Harris Corp.)


MODULAR CONCEPT Hershberger noted that there are three basic MET antenna sizes—12.2 meters, 7.2 meters, and 4.8 meters—and that MET terminals will be built using a mod- ular design that incorporates common commercial-off-the-shelf components as much as possible.


“This can lower acquisition costs for large purchases up to 25 percent. It will also reduce life-cycle logistics costs, since so many components are common regard- less of the antenna size,” he said.


The common components include fre- quency converters, transmit combiners,


receive dividers, X-band block converters, Ka-band block converters, 70 megahertz (MHz)-to-L-band fine-tune converters, a multi-terminal L-band matrix switch sub- system, and a control, monitor, and alarm (CMA) subsystem.


Customers will be able to order MET ter- minals in nine different configurations: a 12.2-meter large fixed terminal with X, X/Ka, or X/Ka/Ka capability; a hardened, 12.2-meter large fixed terminal, also with X, X/Ka, or X/Ka/Ka capability, that will protect against high-altitude electromag- netic pulse (HEMP); a 7.2-meter standard transportable terminal; a HEMP-hardened, 7.2-meter transportable terminal; and a


24


Army AL&T Magazine


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