A SYSTEMS SOLUTION TO HELICOPTER NAP-OF-THE-EARTH (NOE) COMMUNICATIONS

The high threat environment of the modern battlefield requires the military helicopter to employ Nap-Of-the-Earth (NOE) flight profiles to avoid detection and targeting from advanced weapons systems. Successful missions require good communications. Unfortunately, NOE flight profiles significantly degrade the performance of traditional Line-Of-Sight (LOS) communications systems. Additionally, new NOE communications requirements specify long range low altitude operations beyond the capability of LOS radio systems. For the last four years, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company (MDHC) has researched how to provide helicopters with an NOE communications solution. The resultant solution is an Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) High Frequency (HF) radio system, a new antenna concept, and a synergistic integration into the crew station. This paper reports on a non-line-of-sight communications system that was successfully flight tested on an AH-64A Apache in Fort Rucker, Alabama by the U.S. Army and MDHC in early 1991.