Enabling next generation airborne communications [Guest Editorial]

Due to the increased needs for sharing information among airborne platforms (both manned and unmanned) as well as the desire to use an airborne infrastructure to rapidly deploy communications capabilities to ground-based users in disaster areas, there has been a renewed interest in the research, design, and development of airborne communications networks. Airborne networks are mobile networks characterized by their high aircraft speeds and platform dynamics, long line-of-sight transmission ranges, and significant cost of integration for communication systems. This Feature Topic, Enabling Next Generation Airborne Communications, considers several types of airborne communications systems including air traffic management (ATM) systems, networks of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and military airborne tactical networks.