A modeling tool for joining RF communications with IP networks

Current communication network design tools are particularly accessible to specialists in network planning and design; but do not provide an interface that is specifically useful for the communication system planners and engineers. Communication and network system architects, engineers, and integrators need access to simple, intuitive tools for performing system trades and analyses of complex, layered, system of systems architectures, such as the end to end communication systems for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). A new tool for modeling the communication among the multiple disparate nodes in the BMDS into interconnected Internet Protocol (IP) compliant networks is now in development via a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) development contract with the MDA. The capability of the tool, called the Communications System Taxonomy (CommTax) Toolkit, is used in this paper to demonstrate how it will be applied to model the network needed to support a typical BMDS scenario.