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GRD, Inc.

Customer: Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division / NAVAIRSYSCOM

Services

GRD provides engineering and laboratory support to the E-6B Block I communications system upgrade, including risk analyses and technical analyses, troubleshooting, and implementing solutions to assure that the System Integration Laboratory and related E-6 system performance and operational problems are solved.
 
GRD designed; including Reliability, Maintainability and Availability considerations; a modification to the E-6 communications system to provide navigator station access to Command Management Local Area Networks (CM LAN) and providing real-time display of aircraft navigation data derived from GPS 3/A MIL-STD-1553B data on a RED laptop at the navigator’s station and to other subscribers on the RED CM LAN.

GRD provided an E-6 Avionics Systems Architecture Document (EASAD) that is used to document all Baseline Systems as of the award of the most recent contract for modification to the E-6.   GRD formatted the EASAD to describe and detail all various mission functions, the relevant supporting communications infrastructure, and equipment overviews of all equipments including interfaces with both verbal and pictorial descriptions.  This document has been completed in time to be a source document for the prime contractor and government engineers involved in the next design phase and to be used to permit accelerated development of training.  The EASAD has been used to identify key design deficiencies early: for example, the mismatch of allocated cryptographic equipment and Milstar operational requirements was identified through the ECAD/EASAD development. 


GRD is also providing engineering analysis in the area of technical risk for the new Block 1 modification to the E-6B and are currently providing support to provide technical guidance and design implementation support for E-6B upgrades to include new open architecture design and the addition of Digital GEP, GPS CM-LAN Modification to provide navigation data at multiple operators positions, and systems engineering to integrate INMARSAT HDR into the E-6 Systems Integration Laboratory. 

GRD also developed models including:

  1. Developed a mathematical models to provide satellite downlink analysis including MIL-STD-188-181B mode performance for 25 kHz,

  2. Developed a mathematical model to estimate maximum data rate available with UFO or AFSAT satellites from the E-6B considering latitude, longitude of aircraft, heading and bank angle (separate outputs are provided for each SATCOM transmit and receive antenna on E-6),

  3. Simulated the Mystic Star satellite link using a remote repeater by setting up LST-5 transceivers in the SIL to communicate using 16 kbps in FSK mode over a dedicated 25 kHz channel, attenuating transmitter outputs of both the CSTS and the LST-5's to avoid interfering with local systems.

  4. GRD also developed models to describe and predict the operations of the OPA-1 HF and SPA-2M VLF/HF antenna developed by GRD.
GRD provided program management assistance including SOW requirements and specification inputs for the E-6B Block upgrade program.