GEopositioning Aviator Radio System (GEARS)

James W. Enery, Thomas H. Jaeckle

Abstract:	When an aviator is downed in hostile territory, his successful rescue can often depend upon how rapidly and accurately his position can be determined. Current equipment used for this purpose requires the aviator to transmit an RF signal to a search and rescue satellite (SARSAT) platform or to a rescue aircraft. Such tran- smissions are subject to exploitation by the enemy. Each time a transmission is made, the aviator places himself at increasing risk. The Joint Electronic Warfare Center (JEWC), San Antonio, Texas, and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio, Texas, conceived, developed and delivered a prototype GEopositioning Aviator Radio System (GEARS) in a 60 day effort using primarily off- the-shelf modules. The system consists of a Receiv- er/Transmitter Unit (RTU) and a Portable Receiver Terminal (PRT). The system has been successfully tested at sites located in Arkansas, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Germany. The handheld RTU utilizes GPS to determine the aviator’s location. A Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite is used to communicate the enciphered position informa- tion to the PRT. Along with the position information, a coded message may also be sent. The PRT computes the position of the LEO satellites, receives the transpon- ded message and displays the location and the message on a map data base. The computer which controls the PRT is also used to program the RTU. This paper describes the engineering design trade- offs which were made to meet the performance require- ments and to deliver the prototype hardware in 60 days. It also discusses the continuing development of GEARS and summarizes system performance.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 5th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1992) September 16 - 18, 1992 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	317 - 323
Cite this article:	Enery, James W., Jaeckle, Thomas H., "GEopositioning Aviator Radio System (GEARS)," Proceedings of the 5th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1992), Albuquerque, NM, September 1992, pp. 317-323.
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