Patent ID: 6931247

Claim:
A method for a mission controller at a ground station to control an aircraft, comprising: identifying a plurality of communication subsystems between the ground station and the aircraft, wherein the plurality of communication subsystems are at least partially redundant; establishing communication between the ground station and the aircraft using a first communication subsystem of the plurality of communication subsystems; operating the first communications subsystem as a communication link for the mission controller to control the aircraft; monitoring the first communication subsystem to determine information on at least one of: the availability of the first communication subsystem and the reliability of the first communication subsystem; monitoring a second communication subsystem of the plurality of communication subsystems to determine information on at least one of: the availability of the second communication subsystem and the reliability of the second communication subsystem; comparing the information determined in the steps of monitoring the first and second communication subsystems; and operating the second communications subsystem as a communication link for the mission controller to control the aircraft if, in the step of comparing, the first communication subsystem is found to be at least one of: unavailable and characterized by less preferable reliability than the second communication subsystem.