Forward Error Correction and Spatial Diversity Techniques for High-Data-Rate MILSATCOM over a Slow-Fading, Nuclear-Disturbed Channel

Forward Error Correction (FEC) and spatial diversity techniques are considered for improving the reliability of high-data-rate military satellite communication (MILSATCOM) over a slow-fading, nuclear-disturbed channel. Slow fading, which occurs when the channel decorrelation time is much greater than the transmitted symbol interval, is characterized by deep fades and, without special precautions, long bursts of errors over high-data-rate communication links. Using the widely accepted Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) nuclear-scintillated channel model [1], this paper derives performance tradeoffs among required interleaver storage, FEC, spatial diversity, and link signal-to-noise ratio for differential binary phase shift keying (DBPSK) in the slow-fading environment. Spatial diversity is found to yield impressive gains without the large memory storage and transmission relay requirements associated with interleaving.