“Todays military satellites “take about two minutes to transfer a simple photo,” Defense News notes. “That same image could take about 23 seconds on the next-generation Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites, which will start to go up in the next few years.“
The third wave of U.S. orbiters, scheduled for launch in the mid-2010s, “could move the image in far less than a second.” And they’d use lasers to do it.
Such blinding speed could finally bring to life the Pentagons visions of networked sensors and shooters unmanned aerial vehicles, Joint Strike Fighters, warships and troops on the ground trading instant images and video anywhere in the world.
The Air Force’s Transformational Satellite System (TSAT) program got off the ground about two years ago.. Boeing and Lockheed, which each have half-billion-dollar contracts to develop initial TSAT systems, are competing for a final production contract to be awarded in a year or so. Both have reported initial success in basic laser communications and other features.
TSAT will offer jam-proof radio and laser connections to compact surface receivers. Instead of lugging around brick-sized satellite phones, troops will sport BlackBerries that deliver space intelligence on the run.
Sounds great. But the Air Force figures it’ll take $12-$18 billion to put the five-satellite constellation in orbit. And, given the military space program’s track record of legendarily large screw-ups, it’s far from clear whether Congress will pony up for TSAT.
During the 2005 budget process, lawmakers cut $300 million from the $775 million request. In 2006, the Air Force is asking for $836 million. The House Armed Services Committee has recommended only about half that be approved, while the Senate Armed Services would like a cut of about $200 million.
THERE’S MORE: The Air Force is adding four more anti-satellite jammers to its arsenal of orbiter stoppers, Inside Defense reports.
Good Morning,
I just love all this techie stuff. I have just one problem, our current enemy, Islamic Terrorist don’t have a single satellite, or an Air Force or for that matter even an Army. My question is what good is all of this in fighting the GWOT?
All the bad guys like bin Laden, al Zarqawi and al Sadar are still free men who with regularity thumb their noises at the United States and then kill a few Americans or Europeans. Wouldn’t it be a better investment to get these guys the to blow money on satellite programs?
The sad fact is that our AN/PRC119B Field Radio doesn’t work in urban areas, but “El Cheapo” Walkie Talkies from Wal-Mart do just fine. The AN/PRC117 Satellite Radio that Spec. Ops. use to broadcast need a stationary position to grab a satellite but a Cowboy out on the range in Wynoming can talk to a commody trader in Chicago about the price of beef while riding aroun on his horse.
What’s with the Military?
What good is a third wave of orbiters if the guy on the other end doesn’t get the message.
Over on another dicussion a “Lt. G.” from the 1st. Cav. Div. states we have the best Military and can defeat anybody in the world, so why can’t we take out a few hundred terrorists (number coursity of Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld), how will $18 Billon is new space hardware stop Americans dieing at the rate of better then one a day from IED’s?
Shouldn’t we be fighting the war we are in instead of the one we want to fight?
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
“Stewart“s Platoon”
Byron,
The key word here is “transformation”. The military is transforming — very slowly — from one designed to fight the USSR to one in where soldiers “Instead of lugging around brick-sized satellite phones, troops will sport BlackBerries that deliver space intelligence on the run”.
Is the transition going perfectly? Of course not. But is it moving ahead? Absolutely.
But at the end of the day, the GWOT is not about a couple of individuals. It is about defeating an ever changing network of, well, evil. We will need our military to be more adaptable than the enemy. This will let them do that job.
We are doing the best we can today and even better tomorrow.
I just wanted to say that I prefer “network of evil” to “axis of evil.” It’s so much more Arquilla-esque.
Might i just add, if we can believe CNN then our army has come very close quite a few times to taking out our current enemies and “just missed them”. With this system, “just missed them” becomes a much more narrowed time frame.
With satellites that can see tire tracks 2 or 3 days old and can see the body heat of a bird why can’t they use them to find our enemys? We put them in space to be used, use them to help our troops.
Can we privitize some of this comm for the Public, nice. to get 23 sec data downstream LIVE.
Imagine the implications.
Big $$$$$$- hello Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, for Consumer celphone users.
$12-$18 Billion for new satellties! In the meantime our vets can’t access Health care, medical as well as psychological. It appears to me that our leaders speak with forked tongue. Support or troops ? For what period of time, minutes, hours, days? Thousands have served their country honorably, don’t they deserve to be remembered after leaving the sevice. How about spending some of that $12– to $18 Billion on our vets.
Good Morning Steve,
Although the origional story has absolutly nothing to do with Veterans Healthcare, I think you are missing the point in regards to V.A. Healthcare funding.
I will mention the obovious first, last Spring the V.A. Healthcare System claimed a $1.5 Billion operational shortfall for the current budget year. At that time a Congressional hearing was conducted and outraged was exprssed by everybody from President Bush on down to the newist Congressperson, all pledged to do something now. Well the Current budget year has only thirty days left in it and all concerned are on Vacation, meanwhile nothing has been done.
Does this effect your personal healthcare, no not in the short term. This short fall is being made up out of operational budgets. But here is the problem.
The current V.A. master plan (from the Reagan Admin. of the 1980’s) calls for about 18 Million Veterans by the year 2012. The current projection including Veterans of the GWOT has indicated there will be at least 26 Million living Veterans by 2012.
In short President Bush is making more Veterans then who are exiting the system while slashing V.A. funds. Not counting the $1.5 Billion shortfall in the current this administration since 2001 when they took office have “Removed” from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Congressionaly allocated budgets in excess of $7.5 Billion.
I don’t think it takes a “Crystal Ball” to perdict some huge problems with Veterans Healthcare just over the horizon in the not to distant future.
Oh and by the way Steve, I have over 200% acculmated “Combat Related Disabilities” and have been in the V.A. Health System for over 39 years now.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
“Stewart’s Platoon”
Back on topic. It was asked how this will help in against IEDs. The answer: with near realtime SatIntel, we’ll be able to mobilize people as “watchers” who normally won’t be able to play a combat role but who will now be able to be set as a high ground guard to watch out for you, to see a ambush ahead of you, enemy movement, or even set a watch on an area to see if terrorists are planting a roadside bomb. Yes, consievably, your parents could be watching over you and looking out for you from above. The resolution with the next gen photo gear can be that good. Yes, it is still being developed, but I like the idea of another set of eyes watching my back in a combat zone, don’t you?
Hey there skinner… The war in Iraq is not the only war we are fighting. We need to stay up on technology to protect ourselves from countries like China and Russia who are constantly checkin our defenses for vulnerabilities. If china were able to jam our satellites, our entire country may be immobilized.
This technology is of high importance.
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