Military mission and the cost efficient alternative communication medium

The challenge of developing a cost-effective, intrusive resistant alternative communications medium for the military air sovereignty mission in a large geographic area culminated in the installation of a high-speed meteor burst (MB) system in Alaska. The MB system was designed for long range communications between two stations at distances up to 1920 km. The MB system installed as a back-up to the satellite network consists of 12 meteor burst communications terminals (MBCTs) located at long-range radar sites and a master station located on Elmendorf AFB. The Elmendorf AFB station is comprised of two MBCTs, along with hardware for interfacing with the Regional Operational Control Center (ROCC), the computer system, and switching networks. Only one MBCT is active at a time, the other being a hot standby. Intercept operators in the ROCC can continue, via meteor burst, to direct aircraft even in the face of a major satellite failure