Deep Sea Communications Talisman UUV, photo courtesy of BAE Systems Submarine communications Underwater communications are often difficult to achieve and submarines form an intrinsic part of naval warfare capabilities. How can effective communications be achieved in deep sea? GMC finds out. Submarine communications can present some significant challenges, especially in the battlefield as radiowaves cannot easily pass through salt water, yet the submarine is a vital part of any navy and provides stealthy, lethal capabilities. Like any other part of the military, submarines must be connected to the rest of the fighting force and must have excellent situational awareness at all times so that they are well and truly integrated. The submarine must be capable of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and also connected with all other parts of the military in the air and on the ground, and all echelons to help form a detailed picture of exactly what is going on anywhere in the battlefield. The submarine must possess network centric capabilities. The environment that the submarine operates in is hostile, isolated and challenging and faces different risks to its counterparts. Submariners rely heavily upon the communications that they have access to in order to identify threats, to acquire targets, and to build up a detailed picture of their surroundings as there are no windows and a complete reliance on onboard communications, satellite, radar and sensors. It is a complex and difficult environment to operate in. Comms at speed and depth The US Navy is engaged in a programme that will ultimately allow Communications at Speed and depth' (CSD). The Submarine Force has been focusing on technology demonstrations for some time now. The ultimate goal will involve a range of technologies that will enable Undersea FORCEnet ­ an advanced undersea communications network. An undersea communications network capability will enable communications among submerged submarines, unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) and undersea sensors to multiply the effectiveness of the Submarine Force. This undersea network will be coupled with the Global Information Grid (GIG) and end-to-end connectivity is enabled among surface, air, shore, submarines, other undersea plat- 14 w ww.satellite-evolution.com | December 2009 submarine.pmd 14 15/12/2009, 12:12