The modern battlefield – with its drastic temperature swings, physical shock, and unreliable power – places significant stress on military communications systems. Overcoming these challenges is becoming increasingly difficult as electronic warfare (EW), radar, and signal intelligence (SIGINT) systems are shaping missions like never before.
To ensure mission success, military and aerospace networks must reliably handle critical data for command, control, and intelligence operations. Testing is required to ensure signals are transmitted without issue. Solutions must support 5G, high-speed Ethernet, optical fiber backbones, and other technologies.
Importance of Seamless Operation
Command and control systems rely on synchronized networks with sub-microsecond timing accuracy; intelligence-gathering operations require high-bandwidth optical links that transport terabytes of sensor data; and communications systems require deterministic Ethernet with guaranteed latency. Each application demands verification across multiple protocol layers, from physical-layer optical parameters to transport network timing and synchronization.
- A fiber optic network for aircraft communications must withstand temperature extremes, vibration, and the physical stress of routine maintenance operations.
- Satellite ground stations are often in remote locations with extreme environmental conditions.
- Naval communications systems are subject to corrosive marine environments and mechanical stresses of shipboard operations.
- A satellite command link can fail during a critical maneuver.
- A radar that experiences synchronization errors during threat tracking.
In each of the mission scenarios listed above, there are significant consequences if critical systems do not operate as expected.
The key to ensuring reliable communication networks lies in field-deployable test solutions that offer high accuracy, protocol flexibility, and simple operation. Equipment must support Ethernet, Optical Transport Network (OTN), and optical transport standards while maintaining precision under extreme temperature and vibration conditions common in defense and aerospace applications.
Anritsu's Network Master and ACCESS Master platforms combine measurement precision, operational reliability, and field portability. Whether testing high-capacity backbone links in permanent installations, verifying fiber integrity during aircraft maintenance, or deploying with mobile communications units, these test platforms are essential infrastructure that enable the networks on which modern military and aerospace operations depend.
400G Ethernet – The MT1040 represents the current state of the art in portable high-speed network testing. It supports validating 400G Ethernet links and analyzing lower-rate interfaces. The tester performs Layer 1 through Layer 4 measurements, enabling technicians to verify physical-layer parameters and protocol behavior, as well as application-layer performance.
For defense networks, this capability is essential to validate backbone communication links in data centers supporting SIGINT operations or certifying high-speed radar data interfaces. The MT1040's low latency and jitter analysis provides the measurement accuracy required for time-sensitive networking applications where microsecond-level timing variations can affect system performance.
10G to 100G Networks – For operations that rely on 10G to 100G networks, the MT1000A offers comprehensive testing capabilities on a compact, modular platform. The solution supports Ethernet transport testing alongside OTN protocol validation and synchronization verification via SyncE and IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP).
This multi-protocol capability allows a single instrument to address the diverse testing requirements typical of aerospace applications, from verifying navigation system timing accuracy to validating radar network synchronization.
Fiber Loss – The MT9090A addresses applications where instrument weight and size are critical. Weighing only 1.7 lb. and measuring about 7 x 3.7 x 2 in. (including battery), it provides OTDR capabilities in a form factor suitable for single-handed operation. Despite its compact size, the MT9090A maintains the measurement performance required for mission-critical applications, detecting and characterizing fiber faults and verifying splice loss with laboratory-grade precision.
The analyzer is particularly valuable for flight line maintenance operations where technicians must carry test equipment while working on aircraft. It can also be used in rapid-deployment scenarios where communications specialists must establish and verify tactical fiber networks under time constraints.
Optical Fiber Characterization – Combining OTDR functionality with optical loss testing, the MT9085 provides comprehensive fiber verification capabilities. The instrument's wide dynamic range of up to 46 dB handles long-haul fiber spans typical of infrastructure while maintaining the measurement resolution needed for shorter tactical fiber deployments.
In aircraft maintenance operations, technicians use the MT9085 to verify fiber integrity and locate faults in avionics fiber optic networks without removing equipment from service. The interface works for both experienced fiber optic specialists and maintenance personnel with limited optical testing backgrounds. Training is reduced while measurement accuracy is maintained.
Designed for Today’s Battlefield
Technicians have long had to settle for field equipment that was not designed to withstand harsh conditions. That’s changed, as current solutions have advanced to meet the evolving needs of the military. They run for hours on internal batteries and maintain measurement accuracy across temperature ranges and vibration levels that would disable conventional equipment. They're built to be carried, withstand the physical demands of field operations, and deliver reliable results in extreme conditions.
Testing time is reduced because technicians can work at the point of failure, rather than transporting equipment out of the mission for measurements or repair. They also improve operational readiness by diagnosing and resolving problems immediately. Total cost of ownership is reduced, too.
As outlined here, test solutions are advancing to keep pace with the changing battlefield. To learn more about the modern military and test solutions to support it, download our app note.
