Network simulation for advanced HF communications engineering

Harris Corporation and the State University of New York at Buffalo are conducting a collaborative project to develop an HF network simulation framework based on the ns-2 open source network simulator. The framework will contain models of HF channel characteristics, waveforms, protocols, and typical traffic loads, so as to be useful for analyzing HF radio networks under real-world conditions. This paper presents an overview of the project´s objectives and strategy, and discusses an approach to incorporating a model of HF surface wave propagation into the simulation framework.