Air Force Uses FiberTRAX to Support Flightline Connectivity

Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada

Case Study

Project Background

The Air Force (AF) relies heavily on radio communications along their flightlines. This creates challenges to obtaining the bandwidth needed for enhanced flightline operations. In 2019, an AF 3-star general issued a memorandum to the AF seeking solutions for greater connectivity on and around the flightline. One AF lieutenant estimated that his unit loses ~3,000-man hours per year due to his mechanics walking back and forth between the aircraft and an access point to upload and download the data. This activity costs valuable man hours and is prone to data transfer mishaps. Wireless connectivity poses security and bandwidth issues, and trenching cables into the flightline is costly and disruptive. Trenching can also affect daily operations and destroy flightline property. Nellis Air Force Base, located near Las Vegas, Nevada, was facing these connectivity challenges and became a good candidate to test new flightline connectivity solutions.

The Problem

The squadrons responsible for maintaining aircraft at Nellis AFB had no Internet or network connectivity while maintaining aircraft on the flightline. The aircraft are often parked under sunshades for protection from the sun, while maintaining proximity to the runway. Two squadrons, who would benefit from a fiber connection, have sunshade groups that are thousands of feet apart from each other. Each sunshade group is hundreds of feet away from the nearest building with network connectivity. Both groups of sunshades are on the other side of two very active travel lanes. The expenditure to bring a buried fiber cable was far too costly and would have a major operational impact.

The FiberTRAX Solution

TRAXyL initially installed a surface-mount installation to test its resiliency. Once it was determined that a surface-mount installation wasn’t ideal, it was then upgraded to a flush-mount FiberTRAX line that has embedded cables into the paved surface. Once connected, the mechanics are able to use FiberTRAX for high-speed access and connectivity, saving numerous trips back and forth and creating a more efficient work environment. The flush-mount installation is holding up well to the extreme environment of a Nevada flightline.

The Bottom-Line Value Added

• Improved efficiencies for mechanics by providing high-speed connectivity to 32 sunshade bays
• Expanded communications network to the flightline without damaging real property or existing utilities
• Connected to existing network without interruption to daily operations

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