Using Commercial 5G and Leo Technologies to Enhance Navy-Army Sensor-to-Shooter Networks

Abstract

The emerging commercial technologies of 5G and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications have the capability to provide links that send large amounts of data with low latency. As the DOD continues to explore how to best leverage these technologies, it is important to develop potential use cases within the military. This thesis describes a sensor-to-shooter operational scenario and the network transport links currently in use to move data from a Navy sensor to an Army shooter. The current sensor-to-shooter network transport links are then compared to the emerging commercial alternatives of 5G and LEO satellite communications in the categories of throughput, latency and range. This analysis demonstrates the comparative advantages and disadvantages of both 5G and LEO technologies over current links.