Research and Markets: MANETs in Military Communications - Strategic Insights and the Road Ahead

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/1f1b0e/manets_in_military) has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "MANETs in Military Communications - Strategic Insights and the Road Ahead" to their offering.

Advances in Radio Communications and Wireless Networking Trigger Innovations in MANETs

MANETs have evolved a great deal over the two decades since its inception. Although the technology was confined to the military arena up until now, it is currently gaining traction in the commercial domain of late. The technology at present demands renewed attention owing to recent developments in radio communications and advancements in wireless networking. The proliferation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) over the last decade is one of the most significant drivers for the increased deployment of MANETs in the battlefield. "The steep rise in the number of UAS, deployed for both surveillance and combat operations has brought about the need for a large amount of data transfer between command centers and the edge of the tactical communication network," notes the analyst of this research service. "This has necessitated the development of innovative MANET solutions catering to the reliability, security and scalability needs of the defense communications environment." Today, MANETs enable war fighters to benefit from a sophisticated Internet protocol (IP)-based communications network that can be set up even in difficult terrain and in remote war zones. Furthermore, tactical network applications of MANETs also include realization of automated battlefields, wherein autonomous robots and autonomous ground vehicles are used to explore hostile battlegrounds and check for land mines. These significant strides have made ad hoc networking a very valuable option in modern tactical military communication networks and the industry is facing significant demand for MANET solutions from defense establishments worldwide.

On the radio side, key enabling technologies for MANETs that are likely to have a strong impact include software-defined radios (SDR), cognitive radios (CR), and smart antenna techniques such as multiple input, multiple output (MIMO). Open air laser links are also likely to complement, and perhaps, eventually supplement, radio frequency (RF) links. In terms of networking, the fundamental Internet routing protocol and transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) are known to be quite inadequate for MANET environments and are likely to be replaced by delay/disruption-tolerant networking (DTN) protocol. These enabling technologies are in various stages in the technology life cycle and each one is likely to have a different kind of potential impact on MANET solutions. However, the difficulty in ensuring wireless network security has remained a perennial challenge for MANETs.

An insecure ad-hoc network at the edge of an existing communication infrastructure may potentially cause the entire network to become vulnerable to security breaches. Communicating wirelessly in free space, MANETs are particularly prone to various types of active attacks such as impersonation, denial of service, and disclosure attacks, in addition to passive eavesdropping. "With MANETs likely to play a significant role in network-centric warfare, the need for multi-level security in such an architecture will also become more important, apart from ensuring immunity from conventional wireless security threats," says the analyst. "Nevertheless, there seems to be greater emphasis today in offering secure MANET solutions adhering to established security standards such as the US Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) 140-2." Only a few companies are able to match up to the rigorous requirements of these standards. Furthermore, as defense establishments worldwide are moving toward an all-IP architecture, it becomes imperative that vendors do not insist on using proprietary security solutions, which result in stove-piped and expensive products. Adhering to security standards enables greater demand for more commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, bringing down the cost and simplifying the network architecture.

Technologies

The following technologies are covered in this research:

• SDR
• CR
• DTN
• MIMO
• Smart antennas

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled MANETs in Military Communications - Strategic Insights and the Road Ahead analyzes and assesses the diverse factors influencing the developments of mobile ad-hoc network (MANETs) for the military communications application segment. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following technologies: SDR, CR, DTN, MIMO, and smart antennas.

Key Topics Covered:

• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Military MANETs--Insights and Strategic Recommendations
• 3. Strategic Assessment of the Industry Environment
• 4. Patents; Contacts; Glossary; Appendix
• 5 Decision Support Databases

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