Boeing demonstrates network first

Boeing and the US Air Force have demonstrated for the first time how a near-space vehicle can be used to relay real-time tactical information to ground forces.

The recent demonstration was the first in a series of experiments dubbed Project Marti. The Marti concept seeks to combine the wide-area coverage and loiter time of a near-space vehicle with the sensing ability and agility of lower-altitude unmanned air systems.

The goal is to provide information over a large geographic region, beyond the reach of a single low-altitude asset, without the need for expensive space-based assets that are often reserved for higher priority missions.

‘The challenge here is much more than just the establishment of a high-altitude communications relay,’ said Patrick Stokes, Boeing Phantom Works manager of Network-Centric Operations-related programmes. ‘It's really all about effectively bringing the power of real-time information to bear within a tactical theatre, and doing so without the need for an expensive, fixed infrastructure.’