Expand Networks Optimizes U.S. Air Force Joint STARS Aircraft Communications

Roseland, NJ - Expand Networks announced that Northrop Grumman and the United States Air Force have integrated the Accelerator 4820 and Accelerator 6940 into the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communication system to provide application acceleration and bandwidth optimization.

Deployed in production, Joint STARS aircraft and ground stations, Expand Networks Accelerators enhance the functionality of the Joint STARS BLOS communications architecture by providing the Beyond Line of Sight system with accelerated WAN performance to minimize bandwidth requirements for internet protocol (IP) traffic. The Accelerators mitigate the effects of latency and ensure that all applications receive adequate capacity. Optimization is achieved through the implementation of Expand Networks' patented byte-level caching, compression, Space Communications Protocol Standards (SCPS-based) TCP acceleration (www.scps.org) and Quality of Service capabilities.

"The Expand units have been very reliable and provide necessary user insight on the performance of the link. The techniques used have provided a significant increase in bandwidth utilization and link reliability," stated Bill Guttadauro, chief architect of the Joint STARS BLOS system.

The E-8C Joint STARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform. Its primary mission is to provide theater ground and air commanders with ground surveillance to support attack operations and targeting that contributes to the delay, disruption and destruction of enemy forces. As a battle management and command and control asset, the E-8C can support the full spectrum of roles and missions from peacekeeping operations to major theater war. "Expand has been an excellent partner in bringing true airborne networking to Joint STARS," said Stu Schreiber, Joint STARS BLOS program manager.

"Expand Networks has long and widespread experience with national security communications programs in the air, at sea and on land," said Howard Teicher, Expand Network's Vice President for Public Sector & Satellite Markets. "Operating enterprise-class applications over low bandwidth-high latency satellite links demands a dynamic, robust WAN Optimization capability to satisfy the users' performance requirements. Optimizing the Joint STARS BLOS architecture demonstrates the power and flexibility of Expand's technology and our ability to deliver high performance mobile communications, while saving taxpayer resources."

Expand Networks has delivered over 9,000 accelerators throughout the U.S. government and in all branches of the United States military since its initial rollout in the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) in 1999. Battle-proven in Afghanistan and Iraq with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, Expand accelerators are also deployed in U.S. government enterprise networks, such as the Treasury Department's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

SOURCE: Northrop Grumman and Expand Networks