Spectrally Efficient Air-to-Air Network

Increasing competition for spectrum allocation is driving the Air Force to find new ways to increase efficiency of spectrum utilization. Past studies have shown that air-to-air MIMO can increase spectral efficiency but requires mounting widely spaced antenna arrays on aircraft. Interference alignment is an alternative use of multiple antennas that can use small arrays while still providing increased spectral efficiency. The commercial SEPP protocol offers a streamlined interference alignment method that reduces overhead and simplifies hardware. SEPP is a deployable capability with autonomous network setup and maintenance, requiring no external synchronization signals and having no central controller as a single point of failure.