C-Band Missile Telemetry Test Project

Abstract

The physics associated with transmitting and receiving a telemetry signal at a frequency greater than an octave above the current operating band is such that an end-to-end evaluation of the complete data link system (both the transmit and receive side) is required. In 2012, Airborne Instrumentation Systems Division (AISD), Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) was sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to develop a couple of short-range air-to-air missile platforms that use a specially-designed warhead-replaceable telemetry section incorporating three data links: (1) an S-band link to transmit Time- Space-Position Information (TSPI), (2) an C-band link, and (3) an additional S-band link where the latter two are transmitting the same pseudo-random bit sequence at the same effective radiated power level. Flight testing will consist of a series of captive tests conducted over land and water. The tests will be performed under a variety of conditions to induce potential issues caused by multipath, atmospheric ducting, fast-slewing of the tracking antenna, and large propagation losses. Flight testing will culminate with the live-fire of a missile over a military land range. This paper describes the continuing efforts of this test program from these series of flight tests, thus quantifying the performance of C-band telemetry data transmission as compared to the S-band.