DoD to Standardize UAV Data TransmissionJanuary 23, 2009
 The U.S. military services are cooperating with each other to create a standard for sending and receiving data from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a critical step as data and imagery increasingly flows between the battlefield and command centers. UAVs, which have become ubiquitous since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and are common in the skies above Afghanistan, transmit data in many formats, making it difficult to share the information among services and sometimes even within units of the same service. John Young, the Pentagon's acquisition chief, set up a task force to find ways to increase interoperability among the services. That task force has now recommended that the Pentagon base its standards on Army protocols, according to an article in Defense News. The task force noted that the Army has succeeded in efficiently sharing UAV video with ground stations, vehicles and helicopters. The Army had just a few UAVs at the beginning of the Iraq war but now has thousands of different types of UAVs like Hunters, Predators, Ravens and Shadows. To make them all work together, the service has had to accelerate efforts to allow the craft to share data and video, Col. Jeffrey Kappenman told Defense News. The task force has completed a draft of standard specifications that will be edited by a series of working groups. The final version is expected this summer, according to Defense News. In November, Army officials briefed Young on the service's progress on sharing UAV video and the vendors involved. The presentation may have influenced the recommendation that the standards be based on the Army's approach, according to Defense News. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock/Released) |
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