Dov Zakheim's Homeland Security biz and the remote control of aircraft Published on: July 8th, 2008 Modified on: July 8th, 2008

Source: Posted by Bluegrass on the Libertyforum



Dov Zakheim. Not many Americans know who he is, but they ignore him at their own peril. If for no other reason, a dual Israeli-American citizen as Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer of the United States Dept. of Defense should raise some eyebrows. He was also President Bush's senior foreign policy advisor during the 2000 campaign. He was (is?) Corporate VP1 at System Planning Corporation, a major player in the "Homeland Security" industry. One of the products that SysPlan sells is the Command Transmitter System, a remote control system for planes, boats, missiles and other vehicles2 . It's highly customable and configurable to interface with an almost limitless number of vehicle types. The remote control theory of 9/11 looks a little better every day. Command Transmitter System System Planning Corproation's Command Transmitter Systems (CTS) provide remote control and flight termination functions through a fully-redundant self-contained solid-state system. Exciter

The exciter incorporates state-of-the-art Direct-Digital-Synthesis technology to simultaneously generate an RF carrier and up to 6 of 20 available standard IRIG-B tones. It has 20 watts of output power and an internal ferrite isolator. The exciter may also be used as a standalone unit. High-Power Amplifier

The high-power amplifier (HPA) is solid-state, dependable, and cool running, allowing continuous 1-kW output power at temperatures from 0o to 50oC, and from sea level to 30,000 feet AMSL. The Command Transmitter System is MIL-STD-461C qualified and designed to military standards for high MTBF and continuous 24-hour-per-day operation. State-of-the-art CMOS micro-controllers provide full fault detection and reporting. High-power ferrite isolators allow full-power operation with antenna VSWRs up to 2:1. The HPA is designed for graceful degradation, which allows high-output power operation even with several amplifier modules inoperative. As an optional feature, each HPA sub-system is provided with an RF switch matrix that allows real-time replacement of HPA units. External modulation inputs may be used to modulate the transmitters with externally-generated tones from 10 Hz to 100 kHz. The system can be switched automatically or manually between transmitters. Automatic switching to the redudant system is completed in less than 5ms upon detection of an internal fault or at preset RF power thresholds. The system is mounted in two standard 60"-high racks for easy installation in mobile platforms. The roller-bearing, tiltable rack slides allow easy access within the chassis for low MTTR. CTS generally ships with front panel button operation for broadcast frequency and tones. Add-on options are available from SPC for remote control features. For more information on an integrated control system, see SPC's Flight Termination System Download a CTS brochure. CTS Specifications Performance Feature FTS Specification Frequency Range: 400-550 MHz in 100-kHz steps RF Output Power: Exciter: 20 Watts; HPA: 1 kW RF Power Control: 1-dB steps, 60-dB total range Permissible Antenna VSWR: > 2:1 continuously, 50 ohms nom. Harmonics: < -50 dBc at 1 kW Spurious: < -80 dBc at 1 kW Modulation: FM Deviation: ± 300 kHz Modulation Range: Internal: 7.5-73.95 kHz (IRIG-B tone frequencies) Prime Power: 180-228 VAC 3-phase Wye connection, 47-63 Hz; 5 kVA maximum per rack, two connectors required (supplied); entrance at bottom center of each rack

Local Control, RF Power Monitor, and Exciter are supplied 120 VAC nom. single-phase by the HPA power supply Cooling: Forced air; all exhausts through rear panels Controls and Indicators Local Control: Automatic or manual

Either transmitter as primary or secondary Local/Remote

Alarm reset and audio alarm disable

System fault

Overtemperature fault

Power on/off RF Power Monitor: Forward and reflected RF output power level

Forward and reflected RF output power fault

Overtemperature Exciter: Local/Remote

Carrier enable, carrier on

RF output power attenuator

RF carrier frequency

Selected audio tone (up to 6 of 20)

Deviation

Deviation monitor

Compressor on/off and limit set

Overtemperature fault

Power on/off HPA: Overtemperature HPA Power Supply: Line power (indicators)

System power (circuit breaker/switch)

HPA 28-volt power (circuit breakers/switches,Indicators)

Overtemperature Dimensions: 2 standard 19" racks, 32" deep and 60" high Antenna Connectors: Female type LC, mounted on left-rear upper rack surfaces Weight: Approx. 800 lb/rack bluegrass writes: "





1 Dov S. Zakheim:



Dov S. Zakheim is Corporate Vice President of System Planning Corporation (SPC), a high-technology, research, analysis, and manufacturing firm based in Arlington, Virginia. He is also Chief Executive Officer of SPC International Corporation, a subsidiary of SPC that specializes in political, military, and economic consulting, and international sales and analysis. In addition, Dr. Zakheim serves as Consultant to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He is an Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asian Studies of the Council on Foreign Relations, Adjunct Scholar of the Heritage Foundation, and a Senior Advisor at the Center for International and Strategic Studies.



From 1985 until March 1987, Dr. Zakheim was Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Planning and Resources. In that capacity, he played an active role in the Department's system acquisition and strategic planning processes and guided Department of Defense policy in a number of international economic fora. He also successfully negotiated numerous arms cooperation agreements with various U.S. allies.



Dr. Zakheim served the Reagan Administration in a variety of other senior Department of Defense posts from 1981 through 1985. He had served previously as Principal Analyst with the National Security and International Affairs Division of the Congressional Budget Office.



A graduate of Columbia University, New York, where he earned his B.A., Summa Cum Laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Dr. Zakheim also studied at the London School of Economics. Dr. Zakheim earned his doctorate in economics and politics at St. Antony's College, University of Oxford, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, a Columbia College Kellett Fellow, and a post-doctoral Research Fellow. He has served as Adjunct Professor at the National War College, Yeshiva University, and Columbia University and as Presidential Scholar and Adjunct Professor at Trinity College, Hartford, CT.



Dr. Zakheim served for two terms as a Presidential appointee to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. In 1997 he was appointed by Secretary of Defense Cohen to the Task Force on Defense Reform. In May 1998 Secretary Cohen named him to the first Board of Visitors of the Department of Defense Overseas Regional Schools. In February 2000 he was appointed to the Defense Science Board Task Force on the Impact of DoD Acquisition Policies on the Health of the Defense Industry.



Dr. Zakheim writes, lectures, and provides media commentary on national defense and foreign policy issues, both domestically and internationally, including appearances on major U.S. network news telecasts, CNN's Newshour, Larry King Live, BBC Arab and World Service, and Israeli, Swedish, and Japanese television. He is a columnist for the Jerusalem Post, a regular contributor to Defense News, and an editorial board member of Israel Affairs and of The Round Table (the Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs). He serves on review panels for the Wilson Center for International Scholars, the United States Institute of Peace, and the U.S. Naval Institute. He is the author of Flight of the Lavi: Inside a U.S.-Israeli Crisis (Brassey's, 1996), Congress and National Security in the Post-Cold War Era (The Nixon Center, 1998), and numerous articles and chapters in books. Dr. Zakheim is also a trustee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute; serves on the Board of Directors of Search for Common Ground and of Friends of the Jewish Chapel of the United States Naval Academy; and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and other professional organizations. Dr. Zakheim is a member of the advisory boards of the Center for Security Policy, the Initiative for Peace and Cooperation in the Middle East, and the American Jewish Committee.



Dr. Zakheim is the recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal (1986), the Bronze Palm to the DoD Distinguished Public Service Medal (1987), Congressional Budget Office Director's Award for Outstanding Service (1979), and the SPC Director's Award for Outstanding Service (1997).





2 COMMAND TRANSMITTER SYSTEM (CTS)



The CTS at the Sea Range provides safe, controlled testing of unmanned targets, platforms and missiles, including ballistic missiles and other long-range vehicles.



The CTS is a tunable UHF FM transmitter designed for ground use in controlling guided missiles, pilotless aircraft and pilotless boats. It delivers a nominal 750 watts of RF power to the antenna (rated at 1 kW with a minimum of 500 watts). The RF signal is frequency modulated by selected tones (IRIG 20 tone format) that correspond to particular control functions of the missile, aircraft or boat. Four of these systems are located at Laguna Peak and three are located on SNI. The fourth system at SNI is expected to be operational in fiscal year 1997.



Control of target vehicles allows a specific test or threat geometry to be produced for weapons systems tests or Fleet training. The CTS may be controlled at the site or remotely from the OCRs at Point Mugu. This allows an operator to control a pilotless aircraft or drone throughout the Sea Range or control boats and ship targets within about 40 miles of the active transmitter site. Area of coverage is shown in Figure 7-5. The CTS is used for control of airborne targets such as VANDAL, AQM-37C and aerial tows, and seaborne targets such as the SEPTAR and Mobile Ship Target (MST). The BQM-74E is sometimes flown using the CTS when shortages of DKW-3 equipment occur.



In addition to the fixed site capability, the Test Wing's NP-3D aircraft can be configured to provide airborne CTS functions as an over-the-horizon repeater or "stand-alone" transmitter." ( categories: )