On the design of a modern broadband communications waveform for tactical air-to-ground links

Abstract

Tactical air-to-ground channels present a number of challenges for physical (PHY) layer waveform design including: (i) airborne platform dynamics (i.e., Doppler, frequency offset, jerk, etc.), (ii) benign to severe ground-level multipath, and (iii) partial to full blockage of the line-of-sight (LOS) path. Legacy military waveforms are not sufficiently robust to operate effectively in these severe channels while providing the data rates required for modern tactical communications.