Future Combat Systems Communications

The DARPA FCS-C program is developing communications / networking technologies and notional systems architectures to support the emerging warfighting concepts being developed by the FCS concept development program. The FCS-C program has two distinct components: Technology Development and System Integration and Demonstration. Together, these two components provide the enabling technology, and system integration and demonstration for a communications system capable of achieving the high data rate and low latency communications that will be needed to support real-time FCS fire control and robotic missions. Since FCS will operate in a hostile electromagnetic environment, the communications system developed and demonstrated by this program must also provide robustness to jamming and significantly improved low probability of detection (LPD) characteristics. The FCS-C approach to meeting these opposing constraints is through a multi-tiered mobile ad hoc network utilizing both directional antennas at low-band (e.g. Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) bands) and highly directional antennas at high-band (millimeter-wave frequencies).