L-band Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance High-speed SATCOM connectivity for airborne ISR

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Introduction

LAISR (L-Band Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) is a subscription based managed service offering

from Inmarsat Government that provides high-speed, beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) connectivity for Airborne Intelligence,

Surveillance and Reconnaissance (AISR) missions across the globe. It provides guaranteed L-band data transmission rates

up to 10 Mbps.

LAISR enables transmission of high definition full-motion video and data from a variety of manned and unmanned aero platforms, providing

full situational awareness for the military and intelligence community. Potential applications include electro-optical and infrared real-time

high definition video streaming, laser range finder and designator transmission, signals intelligence, synthetic aperture radar, and backup

command and control (C2).

An integrated aero terminal is used to provide a simplex broadband return link to support AISR mission requirements and a full duplex

SwiftBroadband (SB) connection for low data rate C2 traffic. This capability can be integrated with existing platforms supporting Inmarsat SB

service. Operating in L-band ensures the highest availability of service allowing aircraft to fly over urban, mountain and jungle environments,

at low altitudes, in cloud cover and in dense rain. The SATCOM link eliminates the need for a communications relay payload or retransmission

vehicles reducing the operational footprint to support AISR missions.

Concept of Operations

Much like traditional Ku and Ka Fixed Satellite Services, LAISR subscriptions offer guaranteed data rates, and the service is not contention or

usage based. A single subscription can be shared by a group of aero platforms in one orbit. For example, an orbit could consist of three aero

platforms – one in the target location using the high data rate link for the ISR mission, a second one enroute from the base to the target

location, and a third aircraft returning to the base. The second and third aircraft would continue to use the SB service for C2 applications even

when they are not in theater.

The service is accessed via a customized SB aero terminal integrated with a high gain antenna. The aero platform connects to the Inmarsat

BGAN network first, and once authenticated, accesses the LAISR high speed return channel. The payload data is uplinked by the terminal at

standard or extended L-band frequencies operating over the Inmarsat I-4 constellation. A second channel using SB service runs through the

same high-gain antenna providing continuous two-way communications to support the aircraft, its payload, and Monitor and Control of the

high speed simplex link. An overview of the LAISR service is shown in Figure 1.

Inmarsat Government developed a comprehensive Network Management System (NMS) to configure and manage all the LAISR subscriptions

on a global basis to ensure seamless connectivity. It interfaces with the LAISR aero terminal and Inmarsat’s global resource management

systems to monitor the infrastructure and service components, and allocate satellite resources to the appropriate spot beams. The NMS

facilitates beam switching as the aircraft moves from one spot beam to another, and enables positive control of the aero terminal. It also

includes a dashboard for tracking the aero platforms and monitoring the performance of the LAISR links.

Data Backhaul-Customer Location

Inmarsat GovernmentNetwork Operations

Satellite AccessStation (SAS)

SwiftBroadband (Duplex)

High Speed Return Link (Simplex)

Inmarsat-4 Fleet

Figure 1: LAISR Overview

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Multiple options are available to securely transport the ISR and C2 traffic from the Satellite Access Station (SAS) to the customer’s destination.

Inmarsat Government manages a global, secure, private MPLS network that is already connected to the SASs and major data centers in CONUS,

and can carry the traffic on our network to the customer location. Alternatively, the customer could elect to extend their terrestrial network

directly to the SAS to access the aircraft data. A SATCOM link can also be used for backhaul, either as a backup to the terrestrial connection or as

the primary link to the command center in remote or mobile locations that are hard to reach.

Inmarsat Government’s U.S.-based Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) is operated 24/7, and is staffed with security-cleared

personnel to provide Tier 1 through Tier 3 Help Desk support. The LAISR service is monitored by the NOSC team, and engineering subject matter

experts are available on call. The network architecture for LAISR is depicted in Figure 2.

Benefits

Inmarsat is the pioneer and industry leader for mobile satellite communications. The I-4 satellite constellation and Alphasat provide global

coverage at standard or extended L-band frequencies, and LAISR service is available over the entire global footprint. The I-4 F2 satellite over

Europe, Middle East and Asia region has been replaced by Alphasat, a newer satellite with similar coverage and more available bandwidth and

power. Inmarsat’s global coverage map is shown in Figure 1 below.

RFS

GPM LQS

Fucino Secure Room

FucinoSAS

Paumalu SAS

Buhrum SAS

Customer PremiseGCS/HQ/Distribution Center

SATCOMTeleport

IG NOCCleared Facility

Personnel

I-4 AOR I-4 POR I-4 IOR

Alphasat IOR

SB Traffic

BGAN RAN

LAISR Enabled Aircraft

CONUS Network

Switch Centers VA, IL, NY

OCONUS Network

Switch Centers Netherlands, UK

LAISR Traffic 1

2

3

Figure 2: Network Architecture

0°

10°

20°

30°

40°

50°

60°

70°

80°

90°

10°

20°

30°

40°

50°

60°

70°

80°

90°

0°20°40°60°80°100°120°140°160°180° 20° 40° 60° 80° 100° 120° 140° 160° 180°

I-4 Americas Alphasat I-4 Asia-Pacific

Figure 3: Inmarsat-4/Alphasat

Coverage Map

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LAISR operates in the L-band frequency range which is extremely resilient to atmospheric losses. The service is offered over dedicated

channels on the satellite, and the bandwidth is not shared by other users. The combination of powerful narrow spot beams, dedicated

bandwidth, robust L-band frequencies and advanced modem technology enable us to support very high data rates using terminals that have

very low size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements. The NMS maintains positive control of the aero platform and provides a graphical, user-

friendly dashboard for mission assurance, and enables custom service packages for varying mission requirements.

To summarize, some of the key benefits offered by LAISR include:

Product Roadmap

Inmarsat Government recognizes that terminal SWaP requirements are very important to our user community. We have an ongoing effort

to reduce the SWaP footprint of the LAISR terminal. In addition to the high data rate offered by LAISR from the aero platform to the ground,

some applications require high data rates in both directions. Inmarsat Government is actively working on a full duplex LAISR solution to

meet this objective, offering a SCPC forward channel to the aircraft. The rotary wing aircraft market segment is also interested in the LAISR

capability, and we are exploring alternatives with unique waveforms and solutions to address these requirements.

Inmarsat is also actively developing LACE (L-band Advanced Communications Element), a ground based variant of LAISR for simplex or full

duplex ISR and C2 comms-on-the-pause applications.

Summary

Today’s volatile and rapidly changing world requires increasingly sophisticated AISR capabilities. LAISR is an end-to-end managed service

from Inmarsat Government for BLOS connectivity for AISR applications, offering very high data rates globally, with guaranteed availability.

One seamless network from a single

satellite operator

Global coverage with uniform

performance

High speed return (Aircraft to Ground)

links, up to 10 Mbps

Dedicated channels for guaranteed

data rates

Compact, lightweight terminal

Very high availability – not susceptible

to rain fade

Multiple secure terrestrial backhaul options

Positive control of the aero platform at

all times

Share a single subscription among

all aero platforms in one orbit

About Inmarsat Government

Inmarsat Government is a leading provider of secure, reliable and affordable mission-critical telecommunications to U.S. military, intelligence

and civilian organizations. Equipped with the industry’s leading satellite and terrestrial infrastructure, it delivers custom, end-to-end networks

and solutions that can sustain communications anytime, anywhere. Inmarsat Government, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inmarsat plc, and

an authorized Value Added Reseller (VAR) for Inmarsat Global Xpress, is responsible for Inmarsat’s retail U.S. government business. It is

headquartered in Herndon, VA, with network assets and operations around the globe. For more information, please visit inmarsatgov.com.

info@inmarsatgov.com1-703-621-6450