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Phased value The evolution of ground-based radar www.digital-battlespace.com Volume 4 Number 2 March/April 2012 ONE STEP AHEAD Expeditionary C4ISR STOCKING UP ON IDEAS Sensor interoperability SCALING DOWN SATCOM C2 for counter-piracy
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Page 1: Digital Battle Space

Phased valueThe evolution of ground-based radar

www.digital-battlespace.com

Volume 4 Number 2

March/April 2012

ONE STEPAHEADExpeditionary C4ISR

STOCKING UPON IDEASSensor interoperability

SCALING DOWN SATCOM C2 for counter-piracy

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Page 2: Digital Battle Space

Intelligent communications systems allow users to keep focus on

what matters most – the mission. SpearNet does just that with

networked voice, data and video. This UHF system provides

on-the-move coverage in tunnels, ship cargo holds and in

buildings. Simple to use, SpearNet automatically interconnects

to routers, backhaul systems and SATCOM. For more on this

smart system, visit www.exelisinc.com/spearnet-tmr.

Challenging environments.On-the-move communications.Real-time solutions.

Exelis and “The Power of Ingenuity” are trademarks of Exelis Inc. ITT is a trademark of ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, LLC., and is used under license. Copyright © 2012 Exelis Inc. All rights reserved.

www.exelisinc.com

IDS11008Hm_DigitalBattleSpace_ShepardMag_Ad.indd 1 3/7/12 11:59 AMDB_MarApr12_IFC.indd 2 19/03/2012 11:42:00

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CONTENTS

1

www.digital-battlespace.com Volume 4 Number 2 | March/April 2012 | DIGITAL BATTLESPACE

3 CommentWhile Iran insists its nuclear intentions arepeaceful, Editor Andrew White explores thealternative of cyber warfare as a military response should any conflict arise.

4 News• Report warns of EMP threats• Northrop Grumman wins CANES navy contract• TRACER goes operational with SOUTHCOM• Raytheon wins DARPA communications contract

SPECIAL REPORT

8 Grounds for changeNew and evolving threats emerging on the battlefield are testing the capabilities ofexisting ground-based radars. Claire Apthorpexplores solutions currently being offered by industry.

COMMAND AND CONTROL

12 Scaling down SATCOMEffective C2 is vital in counter-piracy operations, but the limited size of patrol shipsmeans that conventional communicationsequipment cannot be installed. Tim Fish discusses the downsized versions suitable for such a role.

COMMUNICATIONS

16 Gathering the threadsA recent burst of tactical radio development work by the US Army points towards some parallel development paths for the future, reports Scott R Gourley.

COMPUTERS

22 Stocking up on ideasThe defence industry is turning to Wall Street to help find solutions for improving thedissemination of C4ISR information in campaigns, discovers Andrew White.

ISR

27 One step aheadSpeed and agility enable expeditionary forces to adapt to a vast range of environments. BethStevenson discusses some of the systems thatcould make information-sharing faster and moreaccessible, while reducing the support footprint.

32 All along the watchtowerWith a rise in threats and confusion over definingboundaries, Martin Streetly reports on the currenttrends and technology available for borderprotection and homeland security.

36 Final WordAndrew White talks to Giles Peeters of Track24Defence about future applications of machine-to-machine communications and how globalmilitaries are starting to realise its potential.

EditorAndrew [email protected]+44 1753 727023

Staff ReporterBeth [email protected]

North America EditorScott R [email protected]

ContributorsClaire Apthorp, Angus Batey, Peter Donaldson, Giles Ebbutt, William F Owen, Richard Scott, Martin Streetly, Tom Withington

Production Department ManagerDavid Hurst. [email protected]

Sub-EditorsMichelle StalkerAdam Wakeling

Commercial ManagerChris [email protected]+44 1753 727018

Publishing DirectorDarren Lake

CEOAlexander Giles

ChairmanNick Prest

SubscriptionsAnnual rate £65Tel: +44 1858 438879Fax: +44 1858 [email protected]/shephard

Digital Battlespace is published six times per year – in January/February,March/April, May/June, July/August,September/October, andNovember/December – byThe Shephard Press Ltd, 268 Bath Road, Slough SL1 4DX, UK.

Subscription records are maintained atCDS Global, Tower House, Lathkill Street,Sovereign Park, Market Harborough,Leicestershire, LE16 9EF, UK.

Air Business Ltd is acting as mailing agent.

Articles contained in this publication maynot be reproduced in any form without thewritten permission of the publishers.

© The Shephard Press Ltd, 2012.ISSN 1759-345X

DTP Vivid Associates, Sutton, Surrey, UK

Print Williams Press, Maidenhead, Berks, UK

The Shephard Press Ltd,268 Bath Road, Slough,Berkshire, SL1 4DXTel: +44 1753 727001Fax: +44 1753 727002

DAILY ONLINE NEWSwww.digital-battlespace.com

Cover story: The phased array used as part of Raytheon’s Patriot air defence system set the early benchmark for ground-based radars. (Photo: Raytheon)

SubscriptionsShephard’s aerospace and defence publishing portfolio incorporates six titles:Defence Helicopter, Digital Battlespace, Land Warfare International, Military Logistics International, RotorHub and Unmanned Vehicles.

Published bi-monthly, all have become respected and renowned for covering global issues within their respective industry sector.

For more information, including editorial content in the current issues, visit shephardmedia.com/magazines.

Subscribe today via: www.subscription.co.uk/shephard or +44 (0)1858 438879

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“Shut-Up” is Not a Viable ConOps.

www.polezero.com

Warfighters must be able to communicate whenever necessary.The more radios and the closer together they are, the greater the self-generated cosite interference, which drastically reduces communication range.

Pole/Zero purifies each transmission and protects each receiver, allowing your radios to deliver the clarity and range for which they are designed.

Don’t shut-up. Talk to Pole/Zero. Defeat cosite interference, before it defeats our warfighters.1.513.870.4087

DB_MarApr12_p02.indd 2 19/03/2012 09:11:07

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3

COMMENT

www.digital-battlespace.com Volume 4 Number 2 | March/April 2012 | DIGITAL BATTLESPACE

The cyber switchover?All eyes are on Iran. Israel’s Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu is in Washington, DCrefusing to allow his people to ‘live in theshadow of annihilation’, with talk of a pre-emptive attack becoming more prevalent.

US President Obama maintains a slightlyless hardline approach, asserting that thepotential for dialogue remains open, while allthis time, Iran continues to insist that itsnuclear strategy is peaceful.

The global media has printed unofficialinvasion plans involving ground forceslaunching from Iraq and Afghanistan andaircraft from Israel. Has nothing been learnedfrom the long and drawn-out campaigns inSouthwest Asia? There must be an alternativeoption, which one hopes is already in fullswing behind the scenes – cyber andelectronic warfare.

Rhetoric has been bandied about readilyby the UK, US and NATO regarding the threatto the cyber domain. However, little has beensaid regarding its offensive use. Surely such acapability could be utilised to diffuse thethreat of a nuclear-armed Iran?

Digital Battlespace sincerely hopes thatsuch efforts are being undertaken, especiallyby the newly stood-up US Cyber Command.But doubts arise when US-based think tanksrecommend that NATO goes ‘back to basics’regarding its cyber strategy. Such efforts willhardly help in the fight to neutralise Iran.

Speaking at a cyber briefing ahead ofMay’s NATO summit in Chicago, the AtlanticCouncil of the US (ACUS) and IBM sharedtheir thoughts on current cyber securitythreats. Jason Healey, director of the CyberStatecraft Initiative at ACUS, said: ‘Sticking tothe basics is, I think, a very, very wise strategy.’

Rather more worringly, he continued:‘Offence fits somewhat awkwardly intoNATO’s structure, but that’s OK. It’s new, it’s

sensitive, it’s highly classified, but there aresome practical suggestions in the paper [the ACUS and IBM report titled “NATO’s CyberCapabilities: Yesterday, Today andTomorrow”].’

The report suggests the formation of aNATO ad-hoc coordination cell, similar to the US Air Force Cyber Operations LiaisonElement. In addition, it calls for a specialistgroup to ‘consider’ offensive cyber policy.

Also mentioned in the report were hintsthat US military commanders considered a cyber offensive attack to disrupt ColonelGaddafi’s air defence system during theLibyan conflict. ‘If cyber capabilities coulddisable Libyan air defences from afar, then amilitary commander would be reckless to ruleout cyber capabilities without evenconsidering them,’ added Healey. Lessonslearned remain relevant to Iran.

Elsewhere, a UK government report haswarned of the threat of electromagnetic pulse weapons, with Iran ‘potentially’ posing a realistic threat in the future. The reportdescribed how no state currently had boththe intent and capability to conduct such anattack. However, has such a weapon beenconsidered by the US, Israel or NATO to dealwith the Iran situation?

Much has been said in recent yearsregarding the ability of unmanned systems tocarry out dirty, dull and dangerous missions.Surely, the time has come for the same to beproclaimed for cyber and electronic warfare –keeping ground forces on standby, while‘cyber warriors’ hack into networks either from the Iraq or Afghanistan borders or in safe houses behind enemy lines.

Whether Israel, the US or NATO are willingto make such a switch in the current mindsetfor cyber operations is yet to be seen. Here atDB, we await with interest.Andrew White, Editor

� Sonar

� Land EW

� Counter-IED

� European C2 integration

IN THENEXTISSUE

Digital Battlespace’s editorial team isalways happy to receive comments on

its articles and to hear readers’ views onthe issues raised in the magazine.

Contact details can be found on p1.

RESPONSE

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4

NEWS

DIGITAL BATTLESPACE | March/April 2012 | Volume 4 Number 2 www.digital-battlespace.com

Northrop Grummanwins CANES navycontractNorthrop Grumman (NG) has beendownselected by the USN to design the network infrastructure for theConsolidated Afloat Networks andEnterprise Services (CANES) programme.

The two-year contract was awarded by the navy’s Space and Naval WarfareSystems Command (SPAWAR) on 1 February, with the $36 million agreement covering the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the programme.

NG beat Lockheed Martin to thecontract, and this phase will see the formerprocure the CANES network infrastructure,which will include a ‘guided missiledestroyer (DDG) variant first article, DDGvariant production unit and multipurposeamphibious assault ship (LHD) variant firstarticle’, according to a SPAWAR statement.

‘Many factors were evaluated during thedownselection evaluation process and weare confident that warfighter needs will be met,’ said Capt DJ LeGoff, programmemanager for navy tactical networks.‘CANES is the navy’s only modernisationoption for IT afloat.’

Speaking at the AFCEA West conferencein San Diego on 25 January, LeGoff told amedia briefing that in 2014 a full four-yeardeployment contract will be awarded, forwhich anybody can bid. An RfP for this will be released by the end of 2012.

According to the statement: ‘The next step in the programme iscompletion of an operational assessmentin SPAWAR’s Enterprise Engineering andCertification laboratory in support of a Milestone C decision in the summer of 2012. The Milestone C decision willcommit the DoD to production, andauthorises the programme entry intolimited deployment.’By Beth Stevenson, San Diego

A UK government report has warned theMoD against overlooking the threat ofelectromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons.

According to the Defence Committee’s‘Developing Threats: Electro-Magnetic Pulses’ report published on 22 February, the consequences of EMP events must be‘addressed specifically’.

‘It is time that the government began toapproach this matter with the seriousness itdeserves,’ the report warned. ‘There must be aclear line of responsibility within the MoD; anappearance is given that the MoD isunwilling to take these threats seriously.’

Referring to high-altitude nuclear EMP(HEMP) threats, it described how states such as Iran could ‘potentially pose a realisticthreat in the future, even if it does notcurrently do so, if nuclear non-proliferationefforts are not successful’.

Detonated anywhere between 40 and800km above the Earth, HEMP could have a devastating and long-lasting impact on the UK’s infrastructure, the report added.However, it conceded: ‘Currently, no state hasboth the intent to threaten our vital interestsand the capability to do so with nuclearweapons. [The] MoD’s view is that over thenext decade, existing space launch vehicletechnology could theoretically be adaptedby states to deliver a nuclear device.’

According to the US EMP Commission, Iran and North Korea are both ‘aware’ of the potential of such an attack, adding thatelements required to carry the task out

required an integrated delivery system and nuclear device. This, the commissionsaid, was ‘technically very challenging and expensive’.

The UK paper also described existing non-nuclear EMP technology as ‘crude andlimited’, despite stating that viable devicescould be produced by non-state actors.

Such non-nuclear EMPs, which couldinclude radio frequency weapons, would be capable of damaging electronics locally.Available on the open market, such a devicecan be designed to look like a suitcase, thereport warned. ‘Armed with such a deviceand with some knowledge about the electricgrid, a terrorist could blackout a city.’

Highlighting reliance on SATCOM,including GPS, position navigation andtiming and Earth observation, the reportoutlined how the government must ‘ensurethe long-term security of satellite technology’.

Finally, it described the additional threat ofspace weather caused by varying conditionsin the Sun’s atmosphere. Described as a ‘Tier 1’ threat in the 2010 National SecurityStrategy, space weather is capable ofdegrading satellites.

The report coincides with activity in the US where the Shield Act is currentlypassing through the Senate. An amendmentto the existing Federal Power Act placesresponsibility for pulse protection upon operators and installations at a local level.By Andrew White, London

Report warns of EMP threatsSpace weather is now considered a significant threat. (Photo: NASA)

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US Army anticipates networktechnology baseline…

5

NEWS

www.digital-battlespace.com Volume 4 Number 2 | March/April 2012 | DIGITAL BATTLESPACE

News bytesCassidian develops new

security radar29 February 2012

Raytheon’s MMPU terminal receives production award 29 February 2012

Roke expands EW range 28 February 2012

Lockheed Martin’s MUOSsuccessfully launched

27 February 2012

Harris shows its SRW appliqué offering24 February 2012

BACN demonstrated during US Army NIE

24 February 2012

DRS unveils new handheld device24 February 2012

Harris introduces Falconnetworking system

23 February 2012

Northrop Grumman completes UK E-3D

Sentry repairs 22 February 2012

Harris unveils new ruggedised tablet 21 February 2012

ISAF operations highlight CAS deficiencies17 February 2012

TerraSight expands videoexploitation capabilities

16 February 2012

VISIT

www.digital-battlespace.comFOR DAILY ONLINE NEWS.

Hughes described the technical standardscurrently being used by the army as ‘basicallyindustry standards, just with a little more rigour onthe security side. So we are really becomingsmarter consumers by leveraging what industry isdoing, adding what we need for security, andpointing at that baseline that you have to build to.’

He asserted: ‘And by the way, make it better.Build something in that architecture that’s betterthan what we have right now, and we will look atyou for Capability Set [FY]14, 15, 16 as we godown the line.’

Noting that the army solution would be ‘agile enough to upgrade to the latest industrystandards, so that we don’t fall behind’, Hughessummarised ongoing coordination across multiplearmy programme executive offices: ‘We have gotto be of one voice going forward to industry tomake this work. So the acquisition community isworking together to bring in the baselinetechnical standards and align behind thosestandards with our requirements.’By Scott R Gourley, Fort Lauderdale

On the back of multiple iterations of its NetworkIntegration Evaluation (NIE), the US Army is finallyawaiting solidification and release of its firstnetwork technology baseline on 31 March.

Speaking at the AUSA Winter symposium inFebruary, Col Dan Hughes, director of the Systemof Systems Integration Directorate within theOffice of the Assistant Secretary of the Army forAcquisition, Logistics and Technology, said: ‘It willcomprise a technical baseline for the army’s[tactical] network, informing industry and theacquisition community that they must meet thesetechnical standards for a piece of equipment to gointo the NIE to be bought or procured.

‘The common operating environment is afterthe integrated network baseline – that gives us atechnical standard. So in the future, if I’m“company x” and I build something like a router, Iwill know what the technical standard is. I willknow that I have to meet that standard, and therewill be no big surprise when I take something intothe lab at Aberdeen – my big push now is to bringeverything into the labs – and plug it in there.’

…while NIE searches for SRW solution‘Now just imagine the applicability of taking

a small appliqué radio, sliding it into that mount,using the same power and creating a networkingcapability in every vehicle we possibly can across the force – it would enhance and increase our capability.’

He continued: ‘It does not replace the HMSmanpack, which gives us a tremendous amount of capability, but it provides an incrementalcapability to units that were never going to get anetworking kit until later on – now they can getsomething a lot earlier.’

The ‘sources sought’ announcement identifiesarmy plans to buy approximately 5,000 of thevehicle-mounted radios, dubbed ‘SRW Appliqué’.By Scott R Gourley, Fort Lauderdale

Understood to be the first procurement activityemerging from November’s NIE, the US Army has released a ‘sources sought’ announcement for a single-channel, vehicle-mounted radiorunning the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW).

Referring to the 21 February solicitation,Hughes said: ‘We want to be able to have as many nodes on the network as possible toenhance our SRW capability. A single-channelSRW radio may have applicability across the entire force. That’s more than just the 70 combatbrigades we have, but also the other 200 that are in the [entire] army. These radios will slide into the SINCGARS [Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System] mounts, so no new mount is required.

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The mission specifics of SOUTHCOM’sTRACER C-12 remain undisclosed. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

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NEWS

DIGITAL BATTLESPACE | March/April 2012 | Volume 4 Number 2 www.digital-battlespace.com

Raytheon wins DARPA communications contractDARPA has revealed plans to develop acommunications system to allow friendlyforces to communicate, while conductingsimultaneous jamming operations.

The agency has signed a $3.8 million dealwith Raytheon to assist in the developmentof the High-Power Efficient RF Digital-to-Analog Converter (HiPERDAC) programme.

Joseph Smolko, director of microelectronics technology at Raytheon, told Digital Battlespace that the two-yearprogramme will allow tactical platforms,such as maritime craft, ground vehicles,tactical aircraft and unmanned aerialvehicles (UAVs) as well as individual soldiers,to conduct battlefield jamming operations,while minimising frequency interferencewith friendly forces.

Outlining requirements to eliminate‘electronic fracticide’, he added: ‘Being able

to maintain combat effectiveness whilesimultaneously disrupting enemy sensorsand communication systems representsone of the greatest challenges inasymmetric warfare.

‘By generating signals that are bothlinear – that is the ability of a signal toremain within a certain frequency – and efficient, HiPERDAC allows jamming across the frequency spectrum, whileproviding precise gaps for communicationfrequencies used by friendly forces.’

Smolko continued: ‘Because of emphasison efficiency, the real benefit to thewarfighter enables usage in SWAP [size,weight and power] applications. Normally,jammers [are carried] on large airborneplatforms, ships and ground vehicles – weare aiming to use [HiPERDAC] componentson UAVs and dismounted troops.’

Raytheon has been tasked by DARPA to produce a technology demonstration in order to illustrate an ability to generatehigh-power, rapidly tunable, linearmicrowave signals across a broad range of frequencies.

Laboratory tests will be followed byintegration onto ‘current and emergingDoD platforms’, explained Smolko,although he was unable to disclose moreinformation. A demonstration is expectedin two years, after which ‘notional plans’ for ‘additional iterations’ are scheduled.

‘There is an operational need today,’concluded Smolko. ‘DARPA told us theywould like to accelerate this as much aspossible. There are a lot of compromises in the field right now and the operator has to choose what he wants to give up.’By Andrew White, London

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has deployed Lockheed Martin’s TacticalReconnaissance and Counter-Concealment-Enabled Radar (TRACER) followingoperational demonstrations.

According to the company, the sensor,which comprises a penetrating radar capable of detecting buried, concealed orcamouflaged objects, has been used insupport of SOUTHCOM operations since the end of January.

The command chose to mount theTRACER system on board a US Army C-12aircraft, although company sources werequick to explain that it is also available onboard a variety of manned and unmannedplatforms. As part of its development,TRACER was carried on board a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle.

The payload was also part of anoperational test and evaluation in April last year on board a US Army Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft. The evaluation isunderstood to have run for up to 40 days, although mission specifics remain undisclosed.

Specifically, the sensor has been used for counter-terrorism missions as well ashumanitarian assistance and disaster reliefoperations, company officials announced.TRACER is a lightweight, low-frequencysynthetic aperture radar that can peerthrough foliage, rain, darkness, dust storms or atmospheric haze to provide real-time,high-quality tactical ground imagery. Prior to this deployment, it successfullycompleted more than 160 flight tests onmanned and unmanned platforms.

The system was originally designed for the US Army’s Gray Eagle unmanned aircraftsystem (UAS), and Lockheed Martin has alsobeen in discussions to integrate TRACER ontoBoeing’s A160T Hummingbird VTOL UAS,which has been conducting tests with DARPA’sFoliage Penetration (FOPEN) Reconnaissance,Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar sensor in the jungles of Belize.

While smaller and more lightweight than FOPEN, TRACER’s system design still incorporates all the capability of itspredecessor, which uses an advanceddetection capability to suppress backgroundclutter. The dual-band (VHF/UHF) capabilityincreases target discovery over a variety ofterrain and concealment scenarios to revealpositions of mobile and stationary targets.By Andrew White, London

TRACER goes operationalwith SOUTHCOM

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Groundsfor change

8

SPECIAL REPORT

DIGITAL BATTLESPACE | March/April 2012 | Volume 4 Number 2 www.digital-battlespace.com

Ground-based radar technology forms an integral part of effective airdefence networks and air C4I systems.

In order to gain and maintain dominance in-theatre and enhance battlefield awarenessand national security, tactical and long-rangeradars must be able to identify and classifythreats at all altitudes in all terrain, whilecontinuing to keep pace with and overcomeoffensive efforts in order to counter stealth tactics.

Traditional targets for air defence radarsinclude fighters, bombers and military airfreighters. The past two decades have broughta significant shift in the nature of threats from the air, which have posed a number of challenges to the ability of ground-basedradars to effectively monitor the battlespacesituation. While classical aircraft targetspreviously offered a large radar cross-section,making them relatively simple to detect, thedevelopment of advanced stealth technologyhas noticeably reduced this.

��NEW THREATSIn addition, new breeds of threats haveemerged, including: cruise missiles, whichpose a considerable threat when flying at low altitude; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), designed to observe and gatherintelligence on the battlefield at a wide cross-section of altitudes; and latterly,unmanned combat air vehicles, designed to carry offensive weapons and loiter overareas of interest at a range of altitudes.

To a certain extent, it is the altitude wherenewer threats such as these are designed to fly that poses the greatest challenge toground-based radar technology. Aircraft ofany description flying at very low altitudes are harder for such radars to detect, as they aredifficult to discriminate from the ground andweather clutter. Additionally, the airspace itselfis growing increasingly more crowded atmedium and high altitudes, with military andcommercial fixed-wing aircraft, attack andtransport helicopters, as well as UAVs.

For full air supremacy, ground-based radars – in both forward-deployed theatresand homeland national security operations –

Saab’s multi-missionGiraffe AMD radar systemprotects Australian troopsin Aghanistan. (Photo: Saab)

New and evolving threatsemerging on the battlefieldare testing the capabilities ofexisting ground-based radars.Claire Apthorp exploressolutions currently beingoffered by industry.

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www.digital-battlespace.com Volume 4 Number 2 | March/April 2012 | DIGITAL BATTLESPACE

SPECIAL REPORT

to meet the particular needs of its customers.The Ground Master family architecture isbased on common building blocks andinterfaces, a stacked beam concept and digital beam forming, providing completerange and altitude coverage.

The Ground Master 400 (GM 400) is capable of detecting at low, medium and high altitudes – a clear sea-change fromrequirements just a few years ago when thefocus remained solely on high and mediumaltitudes. Launched in 2007, it has had 32orders from nine different customers in bothits tactical and mobile versions.

The system is designed to track a widerange of targets from highly manoeuvrabletactical aircraft flying at several hundred feet to the unconventional small radar cross-section device, such as UAVs or cruise missiles,providing users with a comprehensive globalair picture and long-range detection for betterreaction times.

‘The GM 400 has been designed so that the complete radar with its folded antenna can be packed in one single load as a 20ft ISOcontainer, and transported on a standard 10ttruck or in a C-130 aircraft,’ ChristopheGroshenry, French operations director ofstrategic radars at ThalesRaytheonSystems,told DB.

‘This is a key requirement, as it enables highmobility and manoeuvrability – the GM 400can be deployed within one hour by fourpeople, and the GM 200 can be deployedwithin 15 minutes by two people. Crucially, the joint architecture also brings the benefits

of a reduced logistical footprint in terms ofmaintenance and repairs.’

The GM 200 can be deployed as astandalone multi-mission tactical 3D medium-range air defence or weapon coordinationradar, or in concert with the GM 400 as a ‘gapfiller’, providing accurate detection againsttargets from very low to high altitudes andfrom short to medium ranges whatever theenvironment. As with the GM 400, it has its own C2 system that connects into the widernetwork to inform the battlespace picture.

��DEMANDING CUSTOMERS‘Armed forces are demanding more capabilityand higher reliability,’ explained Groshenry.‘Thanks to the GM family’s fully digitalarchitecture and solid state, we are bringingkey benefits in this area, providing highmobility within highly complex environments.’

Within the difficult terrain of Afghanistan,mobility and manoeuvrability are being pushedto the top of the requirements list. For systemssuch as the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, this is asignificant issue. It is a 3D, phased-array radarsystem that operates in the X-band frequencyrange, with its primary mission being toautomatically detect, track, identify and reportairborne threats, including aircraft, cruisemissiles and UAVs. Its capabilities are suited fora wide range of missions, including air defenceand missile systems coordination, homelanddefence and infrastructure and asset andspecial event protection.

‘Being lightweight, the system can be easily transported by trailer or helicopter,

must be capable of keeping track of themultiple aircraft operating in their area ofinterest, as well as detecting that these aircraftare operating in an appropriate manner, inorder to protect high-value assets and keepbattle commanders and operators fullyinformed of the battlespace picture at all times.

�� TARGET TRENDS‘One of the major trends in new threats is thevery low radar cross-section of targets,’ MichelDechanet, product account manager at Thales,told Digital Battlespace. ‘In addition, threats areasymmetric, they are smaller and they fly atvery low altitudes and slow speeds comparedto the classic fighter jet.’ The combination of a radar digital architecture with embeddedintelligence to cope in real time with the radarenvironment provides a new capacity ofdetection. Thales manufacturers the GroundMaster radar for ThalesRaytheonSystems.

‘To deal with this, we have embeddedseveral improvements into the technologybuilding blocks of our radar systems. First, we use Doppler filtering – a process wherediscrimination of targets is determined usingspeed of the target – but the key point forgood Doppler performance is stability. Boththe transmitted and received signal must bevery stable in order to determine the speed oftargets at low altitudes amidst clutter.

He continued: ‘We also use 3D technology,which becomes very important in militarysettings where targets are not expected to“cooperate” as civilian targets do. For example,for air traffic control at commercial airports, the targets themselves will provide a lot ofinformation to the radar, while in militarysettings, we must be able to determine asmuch information on the target as possiblewithout its input. This is where 3D technologybecomes invaluable, as it allows us todetermine the position and elevation of targets, as opposed to 2D, which onlyprovides range and azimuth.’

��COMPLETE AIR PICTUREThis technology forms the central platform of ThalesRaytheonSystems’ ground radarportfolio, with each individual system designed �

The GM 200 and Sentinel are elements of TRS’s solution to providing range and altitude coverage.(Photos: TRS)

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SPECIAL REPORT

DIGITAL BATTLESPACE | March/April 2012 | Volume 4 Number 2 www.digital-battlespace.com

and better placed for more effectivesurveillance,’ explained Paul Brar, director ofbattlefield radars at ThalesRaytheonSystems.‘That might include being placed on top ofbuildings in the urban theatres of Iraq, or onhillside terrain in Afghanistan, affording a better field of view.’

Higher rates of accuracy are also beingdemanded in urban theatres, with systemssuch as the AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-37Reliability, Maintainability, ImprovementFirefinder weapon-locating radars designed to limit false alarms. ‘In urban environments,short- to medium-range weapon locatingsystems with 360° coverage is a centralrequirement that’s coming through – you cannot have false indicator of targets,accuracy is key,’ he added.

��BRINGING BALANCEAs changing threats present new challenges forradar manufacturers – for example, in finding abalance between proven and new enablingtechnology in order to build systems of highperformance and reliability – the demand fromarmed forces for increased capability is seeingmulti-tasking emerge as a key trend within thesector. Systems that are able to carry out morethan one role – preferably simultaneously – notonly increase force protection, but reduce thelogistical footprint and manning requirements.

At the same time, requirements are focusing on greater need for counter-rocket,artillery and mortar (C-RAM) systems that cancope with 24/7 operational demands, and contracting for systems at a higher level, such as for surveillance networks, rather thanindividual sensors. As a result, ground-basedradar systems are being developed with anemphasis on complementary performance as part of integrated networks, but which canstill operate as a standalone product.

Saab’s Arthur system is a C-band medium-range weapon-locating system that detectsand locates enemy fire within a 60km range. It utilises a passive phased-array antennatechnology for optimised battlefieldperformance, with applications includingcounter-battery operations, fire control, peace-enforcement missions and force

protection by suppressing enemy fire. Thesystem features comprehensive built-in testand a high degree of automation, a man-machine interface developed with extensiveuser feedback and a mean time betweencritical failures of more than 1,800 hours.

‘Arthur was originally developed for theNorwegian and Swedish armies,’ Jan-OlovWinnberg, senior product manager at SaabElectronic Defence Systems, told DB. ‘Deliveriesstarted in 1999, and since then the system hasbeen continuously developed and improved.We are currently in the third generation, withongoing large scale deliveries. Customersinclude: Norway; Sweden; Denmark; Greece;the UK; the Czech Republic; Spain; theRepublic of Korea; and Italy.’

The programme started with the decisionby the original customers to gain a moderncounter-battery capability by procuring a weapon-locating radar. ‘Since this was not available on the market under favourableconditions, the decision was to develop thesystem indigenously,’ he continued. ‘Seriesdeliveries of the third generation – Arthur with an updated sensor baseline – started inDecember 2009 and are ongoing, and anenhanced force protection data processingpackage is also currently being delivered tothe lead customer.’

��COORDINATING PROTECTIONIn counter-battery operations, the Arthursystem delivers the coordinates of enemybatteries and the impact area of their fire. Data is used to prioritise, based on positionand impact coordinates, and deliver counter-fire. In force protection, the mission is to deter –with counter-fire or other actions to follow –and to warn against impact.

‘The latter is possible since the impactcoordinates are known well in advance,’ addedWinnberg. ‘Arthur has a Doppler radar with aTWT [travelling wave tube] transmitter and anelectrically controlled phased-array antenna.The latter means that the antenna beamdirection is controlled by the phase of eacharray element while the physical antenna is

stationary. This technology is necessary for a weapon-locating radar since it, whilesearching over the horizon several times persecond concurrently with tracking of manyprojectiles, must move the beam to some 100 locations per second.

‘The radar will track each detected projectile for a number of seconds, after which a ballistic trajectory is matched to the track points. This trajectory is then extendedbackwards and forwards in time to find thepoint of origin and impact at the intersectionwith ground. The latter is represented by adigital terrain elevation database.’

The Saab Giraffe Agile Multi-beam (AMB)multirole 3D surveillance system is designedfor rapid surveillance of the entire airspace for short- and medium-range air-defencesystems. It can also be used to warn ofincoming RAM and for coastal surveillance. The system features modular C2 and data links, and is contained in one 20ft ISO cabin, also including a diesel generator. The antenna head is mounted on a mast that can be raised to 12m above ground level and spins at up to 60rpm. The primaryradar is a 3D multi-beam with digital beamforming and signal processing and tracking of air, sea and RAM targets, with integratedsecondary surveillance.

‘The Giraffe AMB was initially developed as part of a development step for the SwedishGround-Based Air Defence programme, but the design was from the start orientedtowards an international market in both land-air and naval domains,’ Lennart Steen,senior product manager at Saab ElectronicDefence Systems, told DB. ‘Since then, morethan 500 systems have then been delivered in different configurations with successivelyupdated baselines for its sensor, cabin, C2 and communications parts.’

There are many factors in-theatre workingagainst the effective use of ground radartechnology, and changing threat scenariospresent new challenges to both industry andusers. But as lessons continue to be learnedfrom varying operational environments, theability for ground radar to keep warfighters outof harm’s way will only continue to increase. DB

The operator console for the Arthurweapon-locating radar. (Photo: Saab)

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85kg. It is fitted to the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s)hydrographic ship HMS Scott, and iscompleting full military qualifying.

‘SCOTPatrol weighs under half a traditionalSATCOM terminal, and this benefits smallerships and also retrofits onto older vessels,’ saidMurray. ‘When the vessels are commissioned,

there is an initial equipment fit that is takeninto account in stability calculations,

but as time progresses there isadditional equipment fitted ontothat vessel, taking up moreroom, but it also starts to erodethe stability margin as well.

A fairly lightweight terminal ismuch easier to place on the ship.’

SCOTPatrol consists of a single userterminal, with a choice in the size of antennadish from 0.8 to 1.2m, mounted on a three- or four-axis stabilised pedestal offering X-, Ka- and Ku-bands. It can withstand up to Sea

State 7 on a corvette or OPV, and take a MIL-STD-901 shock test, which is anon-contact underwater explosion,

handling a 120g shock on a 50m/s pulse.

Due to the space restrictionsbelow deck, a simple

configuration is required, consisting of asingle 20U cabinet, a control unit, red andblack system (secure and non-secure) andsome routers to run IP over the network. The reduced crews on OPVs also means thatthere is less chance of a SATCOM specialistbeing on board, so it needs to have a simple graphics-based user interface for theoperators. Although SCOTPatrol cannot offerfull connectivity to available networks, it still

In recent years, the increasing number ofpiracy incidents, particularly around theHorn of Africa, has required an enduring

naval presence in order to protect commercialshipping, with offshore patrol vessels (OPVs)being ideal for this task. However, the smallersize of patrol ships means that they are unableto house the full version of naval C2 systemsused on capital ships.

To engage in counter-piracy operations, orother policing operations like the protectionof fisheries, patrolling the economic exclusive zone (EEZ), counter-drugs or illegalimmigration, such OPVs require an effectiveC2 capability. Manufacturers are redesigningand scaling down both SATCOM and combatmanagement systems (CMS) so that they canbe fitted to smaller ships, allowing them toundertake tasks more effectively.

�� SIZE MATTERSThe size of an OPV means that it is notpossible to fit a standard 300-800kg SATCOM system, including dishes andantenna, to the top mast, as it will reduce the ship’s stability. Below deck, there is alsolimited space for cabinets and terminals.Existing commercial SATCOM options cannot offer guaranteed services whencompeting users all try to access the system, and the bandwidth on offer (64-128kb) can only support email andlimited voice communications.

With the range of sensors available onwarships, maritime patrol aircraft, satellites,

unmanned surfaceand underwater

vehicles, as

well as information from land databases,there is a wealth of data that needs to betransferred.

This information can give commanders atsea a more accurate tactical picture and theability to react faster to a changing situation.To support this, a SATCOM system is requiredthat can offer a guaranteedservice, with enoughbandwidth to transfer avariety of information, from imagery to real-time video, and thecapability to supportvoice-over-internet-protocol, audioconferencing, secure chatrooms as well as traditionalvoice and email traffic.

Keith Murray, naval terminalsproduct manager at Astrium,believes this is onlypossible with amilitary SATCOMsystem that is scaleddown for use onOPVs, giving themcapabilities theyhave never had before.

He told Digital Battlespace that the kind ofbandwidth required will be from 500kb up to1 or even 2MB. Astrium has developed theSHF Satellite Communications OnboardTerminal for Patrol Ships (SCOTPatrol), whichwas launched in March 2011. It is a third-generation system developed from earlierincarnations, and has been reducedin weight from 300 to

Scaling down

SCOTPatrol’s 0.8-1.2m antenna ismounted on a stabilised pedestal.(Photo: Astrium)

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COMMAND AND CONTROL

On board naval vessels, the challenge is tomanage the higher levels of information anddata management that come from improvedaccess to military networks and the ability to move larger amounts of data from moresources. Giles Whitefield, head of businessdevelopment for naval systems at BAESystems Insyte, told DB that C2 systems

are now more integrated, COTS technology is beingimplemented and there isless intervention frompersonnel in data analysis.

Operators are presented with simple decisions and

do not have to sift through vast amounts of information. ‘It is

about being able to process more data and provide betterinformation to allow theoperator to make better

decisions and faster,’ he explained.BAE Systems produces the Combat

Management System (CMS)-1, whichprovides a range of planning tools, including:full situational awareness; threat evaluation and weapon assignment; hard- and soft-kill coordination; killassessment and re-planning;

navigation and blind pilotage; weapondirection and control; asset management and aircraft control functions for Link 16-capable vessels; support for web browser facilities for non-real time data from third-party subsystems; and onboardtraining facilities.

The three-screen multi-function consoleshave a label plan display in the centre, with a right-hand screen for totes and data entry,and a general display on the left that can also be used for third-party applications.

Whitefield said that CMS-1 is not just acombat system but an information system as well. ‘The amount of information hasexploded beyond even the level that we were looking at ten to 15 years ago,’ heexplained. ‘The Link system, more bandwidthavailability and introduction of the CEC[cooperative engagement capability] willeventually provide near-real-time sharing of data between military assets.’

��NEW ROLESNaval assets in counter-piracy are doing atraditional surface warfare role, thus making it important to maintain a clear and accuratesurface picture, and there is an increase ininformation that is available for this across the spectrum. Therefore, it is important to

maximise a ship’s sensors and findnew roles for them, such as

the closer integrationof optical fire controlsystems and CMS,

provides two-thirds the capability of a fullsystem, including Skynet network access.

�� USING THE FORCEIn the US, Raytheon has been developing the Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT), which is a system of submarine, shore-based andshipboard communications terminals for the SATCOM component of theUSN’s transformational $1.4billion FORCEnet concept. Itoffers bandwidth efficiencyin naval informationnetworks, and will providethe USN with advancedextremely high-frequency (AEHF)waveforms, a global broadcastsystem and X- and Ka-band services.

In December 2011,Raytheon announced thatNMT had demonstrated interoperablecommunications using the AEHF satellite’sextended data rate waveform, moving datamore than five times faster than previous EHFsystems. The company will field 308 AEHFNMT terminals to US armed services. ScottWhatmough, VP of Raytheon NetworkCentric Systems Integrated CommunicationSystems, said: ‘This increased capability will give the navy more mission flexibility and significantly increased capacity toprovide protected voice, data and videocommunications supporting strategic and tactical missions.’

Effective C2 is vital in counter-piracyoperations, but the limited size of patrol ships means that conventionalcommunications equipment cannot beinstalled. Tim Fish discusses the down-sized versions suitable for such a role.

Counter-piracy missions require a compact, flexible and reliable C2 infrastructure. (Photo: US DoD)

SATCOM

The EOS 500 provides bothtracking and surveillance. (Photo: Saab)

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providing high-performance thermal imagingand surveillance capabilities useful forasymmetric operations.

The capabilities of larger warships andsmaller ones are beginning to overlap as thelatter are fitted with more COTS technologyand an improved sensor outfit, allowing atactical picture approaching that of a majorwarship. Increased computer power andcheaper COTS technology have allowed C2systems to be scaled down for this purpose.

In partnership with Marine ElectronicSystems, BAE Systems Insyte has fitted theRN’s Falkland Islands OPV, HMS Clyde, with a single console that is also used on the Type 45 destroyer, and this offers intelligencecapabilities not previously seen on the bridge of RN OPVs.

Auxiliaries such as HMS Argus, which arebeing used in more frontline roles, have beenequipped with four consoles – the Type 45destroyers have 26 and the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers will have 40. This evolution isexpected to continue in the Type 26 frigatesunder an assessment phase that seeks toreduce the hardware footprint further byusing a blade server configuration and ashared network infrastructure using local area network (LAN) and wireless area network technology.

�� FUTURE INTEGRATIONThe trend towards open architecture and COTS equipment to support futuregrowth has been central to the continueddevelopment of the Saab 9LV CMS family.Saab has been building on 40 years ofexperience to deliver increased integration of a ship’s sensor and weapons payloadthrough the 9LV baseline, utilising the Ceros200 stabilised optronic and tracking systemand EOS 500 smart 3D tracking andsurveillance sensor.

The latest version is the 9LV Mk 4 systemreleased at Euronaval in 2006. Aluminiumcabinets measuring 48cm include anti-vibration shock mounts, EMI/EMCshielding and cooling and anti-condensationarrangements, and house the computerhardware for the system.

Peter Behrendt, director naval domain atSaab Defence and Security Solutions, toldDB: ‘We haven’t had to change that much in the past 20 years. We have adopted newtechnologies, but our architecture hassupported this growth in the higher datarates, new interfaces and better information.’

According to Behrendt, most C2 advanceshave been in the development of sensorsand weapons, including more advancedtrack and plot data at a higher data rate.Standardisation at the physical interfaceshas increased and more equipmentsuppliers are adopting open standards.

The latest Saab variant is the 9LV SATfamily, which provides a reduced level ofcapability compared to the full suite, but issuitable for smaller ships that operate assetslike rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). TheSAT-S provides a real-time tactical picture toany area of the vessel, including the bridge,command and operations areas, electronicwarfare office, aviation planning room andtask group planning room.

It utilises data from ship and networkedsensors to create a synchronised situationpicture that can be sent automatically toevery linked display. It supports plug-and-play input from sensors such as GPS, theautomatic radar plotting aid and automaticidentification system (AIS).

The SAT-R offers the same tactical picture to small RHIBs using a ruggediseddisplay and touchscreen. Using an onboardtracker, the RHIB’s position is relayed to thecommand ship, and it will receive updatedinformation from the input sensors on theship to distances over the horizon.

‘9LV SAT was designed specifically forconstabulary tasks, or operations other than war, where we identified a need forsituational awareness and asset control –boats and aircraft etc, and reporting back to HQ,’ said Behrendt. ‘It is built on the same technology, and this has been taken forward on an enterprise-wide

licence by the Royal Australian Navy with aprototype developed.’

Saab also sees trends for some frigate-sized, smaller OPV and non-warfighting ships taking on C2 roles over a fleet, whereasbefore this had been devoted to a dedicatedC2 vessel with a large crew.

�� FLEXIBLE FAMILYDanish manufacturer Terma has built a rangeof C2 systems based on its scalable C-Flexfamily. The minimum single console requiresonly one PC to execute the basic system withGPS, AIS, gyro, navigation radar input and full control of a Scanter surface search radarand designation to FLIR/gun systems. ‘Byadding more interface units, LAN switchesand servers (Sun or Windows), we havedelivered a fully redundant system with 28 operator positions,’ explained ThomasBlom, VP of naval systems at the company.

To support communications, it has a fully integrated functionality for Link 11 andLink 16, including the Link 16 Joint-RangeExtension over IP for tactical data overSATCOM. For HQ, there is an interface forADatP-3 messaging, where a number offunctionalities are automated, reducing an operator’s load and chance of errors.

Thales’ Tacticos system has also beenimproved for scalability, and the companylaunched the Compact series at Euronaval in 2008 in order to meet the needs of OPVsconducting operations in EEZs. The first onoffer is the Compact Sensor Control System,which provides the OPV with improvedsituational awareness using radar and AIS to fill in the tactical picture.

The other is the Compact Fire ControlSystem that has a tracker to control two guns.Both systems can be linked by Ethernet tothe CMS or operate as standalone systems.Commonality with the full Tacticos systemhas been maintained with similar displaysand operator panels, but with a reducedweight and space requirement. DB

C-Raid is a compact version of Terma’s C-Flex system. (Photo: Terma)

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Gatheringthe threads

A recent burst of tactical radiodevelopment work by the US Army points towards some parallel development paths for the future, reports Scott R Gourley.

January’s announcement that elements ofthe US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment hadrecently deployed into combat with the

General Dynamics C4 Systems AN/PRC-154Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) HandheldManpack Small Form Fit (HMS) radio andItronix GD300 wearable computer, served as a notable milestone in the US tactical radio arena.

Significantly, this event occurred against a backdrop of parallel work involving bothcurrent JTRS elements and potential follow-ons. Taken together, the myriad of activitiesappears to open the way for a number ofemerging developments involving UStactical radios.

Some of the opportunities stem from the parallel scenarios of the ‘graceful exit’from the four-channel JTRS Ground MobileRadio (GMR), the ongoing field testing

Without efficient communications at thetactical level, warfighters risk becomingsidelined. (Photo: US DoD)

of a ‘bridge network’ at recent US ArmyNetwork Integration Evaluations (NIEs), andthe emerging requirement for a two-channelGMR replacement identified as the Multi-tierNetworking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) – a draftRfP was released on 4 November 2011 – and dubbed ‘Maneuver’ by observersdesperate for another acronym.

��BETTER NAME NEEDED‘Somebody came up with the name“Maneuver”,’ observed Brig Gen MichaelWilliamson of the Joint Program ExecutiveOffice (JPEO) JTRS. Speaking at the recentWest 2012 industry symposium, heexplained: ‘I absolutely hate that name so as soon as we get a box built I’m going to have the name changed.’

Even more prominently than his opinion of the acronym, Williamson used the event �

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to explain the significance of some of the parallel threads running through US tactical radios.

He began with a historicalreview of JTRS GMR heritagedating back to the Future CombatSystems (FCS) programme. Underthat early planned architecture, thefirst 15 combat brigades plus all oftheir supporting units hadcreated a requirement formore than 80,000 GMRradios. With the demiseof FCS, however, the requirement dropped to a current estimate of 10,900. The massivedrop in quantity resulted in price changesand an additional programme review.

‘The first question that has to be answered[in the review] is from a national defenceperspective – is there still a requirement forthis radio or this capability?’ Williamsonexplained. ‘So a bunch of smart people gottogether, including from the operational side, and came back with the conclusion thatthere is still a need. That’s the good news.’

He added: ‘There were some questions,however, about if we had the requirementsright. Were there things we should change inthe requirements in order to deliver a radioquicker? As a result, there has been a lot of“re-wickering” of that requirement to includethe size, the weight, the power requirements,and the range requirements. So, coming outof [the review process] the DoD said that thearmy still needs a radio, and go back andrestructure the programme, gracefully exitout of the programme that you are in now so that we can continue to reap the benefits.The programme manager will probably closethat out in the March-April timeframe underthe current [GMR] contract.’

��SPLIT OFFICEWilliamson continued: ‘At the same time, the[programme manager] has essentially splithis office up, because we have a directedrequirement from the army, saying they want 900 of the new radios as quickly as you can get them to us. So our intent is to

take all of the things that we learned inbuilding those GMRs – we actually have 200of those with the army out at White Sands[Missile Range] running these advancednetworking waveforms.’

Two critical elements required for any near-term solution would be the Soldier RadioWaveform (SRW) and Wideband NetworkWaveform (WNW), with significant userfollow-on interest in others like the MobileUser Objective System (MUOS) waveform.

Attempting to clarify the frequentlyconfusing nature of the parallel tactical radio activities, Williamson outlined: ‘The first step will be to address that smallquantity of roughly 1,000 radios. That willcome under a directed requirement. We

will get those out to the army. And while that is happening over these next eight or 12months we will also start a new programme,because the army wants to go back andacquire those 10,000.’

Late last year the government released adraft RfP for that new programme – dubbed‘Maneuver’. Williamson projected release of the final RfP in February, adding: ‘We willthen go back out and do some technicalevaluations from the vendors who will offer

a solution. Then later, towards the falltimeframe, we’ll do an operational

assessment. And that will roll into a source selection.’

As of late January, JPEO JTRSrepresentatives noted that seven vendorshad expressed the capability to meet theMNVR requirements noted in the draft RfP.

��ROOM FOR MNVRAccording to Chris Brady, VP of assuredcommunications for General Dynamics C4 Systems, that company is not onlymaintaining focus on current programmeslike the equipment recently fielded with the 75th Rangers, but also finds itself well positioned to address the emergingMNVR requirement.

‘The reason is that the HMS manpack radio – the AN/PRC-155 – is already avehicular two-channel radio and it already �

US Army rangers havealready deployed with theRifleman Radio and GD300.(Photo: GD C4S)

Soldiers get to grips with the AN/PRC-117G widebandtactical radio at CampLeatherneck, Afghanistan.(Photo: US DoD)

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is designed to run the WNW. As a matter offact, WNW is an objective requirement in thespecifications for HMS. So we’ve always beenbuilding to WNW. It’s just not a contractualoption that was activated. But because wehave a box that is capable of doing this wehave gone ahead and implemented thewaveform on the manpack version ourselves,in preparation for the MNVR competitionsand tests.

‘We are very pleased to be able to do that,because there is already a basis of issue forthe manpacks to be in a number of armyvehicles,’ he said. ‘So just adding the ability for them to be able to activate WNW on thesame hardware is something that I thinkwould be very attractive.

‘The other thing that I would add is that the only demonstrated WNW poweramplifiers that were used by GMR were alsoGeneral Dynamics products from our IDSIpower amplifier group,’ he offered. ‘And weare also able to apply a good deal of thelessons learned in the subtleties of installinghigh-powered amplifiers that run this rathercomplex waveform in vehicles.’

He summarised: ‘Bringing all of those assetstogether, we think we have a very goodoffering and a very attractive one for themanoeuvre community, because we willalready be in production on manpacks forboth dismount and vehicular applications.’

Acknowledging that the draft MNVRrequirements did not ask for the MUOSwaveform, Brady characterised MUOS as ‘the much-needed follow-on to UHF tactical SATCOM’.

He continued: ‘Other forms of SATCOMwere originally a GMR requirement but arenot a requirement for MNVR. If we get to bring the [HMS] manpack into MNVR there isan additional benefit in that you also have aMUOS capability on the same product forover- the-horizon communications in verylarge numbers – both in terms of numbers of subscribers and the bandwidth that each subscriber can simultaneously receive.Another big upside is the ability to network allthree of those waveforms – between MUOS,WNW and SRW – which is an additional assetbeyond even what MNVR is asking for.’

��ON THE BRIDGEAnother representative industry leader with obvious interest in MNVR is Harris RFCommunications. The company has beenextensively involved in recent NIE events,where it has refined a ‘bridge network’ basedon the AN/PRC-117G while also gatheringbroader expertise in meeting army networkand communications requirements.

‘Like many vendors, Harris RFCommunications has seen and commentedon the US Army’s preliminary RfP for the newMNVR, the GMR replacement,’ acknowledgedDennis Moran, VP of government business

development at the company. ‘We areawaiting issuance of the final RfP and intendto leverage our status as the only companywith experience in fielding tactical widebandnetworking radios.

‘Harris will offer a two-channel system that will allow the army not only to meet but exceed its requirements,’ he said. ‘It will be based on the wideband Falcon IIIAN/PRC/VRC-114 radio system, whichincludes AN/PRC-117G radios and has beendeployed to combat environments since2009. Harris has fielded more than 20,000AN/PRC-117G radios to US and allied forces.’

�� LEGACY OPTIONMoran said that the Harris MNVR system ‘willdeliver certified WNW and SRW capabilities,and also provide backward interoperabilitywith more than a million legacy radiosalready in the field. We’re a strong believer in the army’s approach to MNVR because itcalls for a true NDI [non-development item]solution. We believe our commercial businessmodel is especially conducive to delivering alow-risk, affordable radio system that willmeet the army’s requirements for cost,availability, fielding and sustainment.’

Other representative MNVR interest hasbeen expressed in a team established byNorthrop Grumman and ITT Exelis. Theformer leads the team and is offering its two-channel, full-duplex Freedom 350 multi-function radio system, with Exelissupporting radio development,manufacturing, vehicle installation andintegration and logistical support services.

‘By joining together, Northrop Grummanand ITT Exelis bring singular depth ofexperience to the MNVR programme –

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SATCOM has formed the backbone oftactical communications in recent years.(Photo: US DoD)

A vehicle-mounted AN/PRC-152 in a brigadecommander’s ‘Point of Presence’ prototype.(Photo: US DoD)

Codan is delivering interoperablesystems for mixed use. (Photo: Codan)

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deep experience in designing and deliveringmultifunctional airborne radios and in thehigh-volume design and manufacturing of SINCGAR radios,’ offered Greg Bublitz,director of international business at Northrop Grumman Information Systems.‘Northrop Grumman and ITT Exelis willprovide the US Army with an MNVR thatmeets the needs of the warfighter with an integrated WNW/SRW/SINCGARS four-channel radio system.’

Bublitz noted that the industry team is also ‘working in parallel’ with the System ofSystems Integration (SOSI) team (led by theSystem of Systems Integration Directoratewithin the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics andTechnology) in support of upcoming NIE 13.1activities, initially at Aberdeen ProvingGround and then transitioning to the field at White Sands in April. He added that thesupport to JTRS JPEO and SOSI/NIE was‘concurrent but still somewhat independent’.

While additional MNVR offerings andteams will be covered in upcoming issues of Digital Battlespace, the characterisation of some efforts as ‘concurrent but stillsomewhat independent’ is hardly surprisingin light of simultaneous ‘sources sought’announcements being generated to supportthe mandates of the fast-moving NIE and itssupporting Agile acquisition process.

��CAUSE FOR CONFUSIONOne clear example of how this process could be outwardly confusing can be seen in the mid-January 2012 ‘sources sought’announcement calling for industry to provideadditional candidate systems to participate inNIE 13.1, slated for October-November 2012.

The first item on the list of identified‘capability gaps’ was a Multi-Channel TacticalRadio. Williamson quickly acknowledged theapparent overlap between his MNVR draftRfP and the ‘sources sought’ gap, explaining:‘What we are really dealing with is a sync/time issue. “Perfection” would have been ourRfP language included within that “sourcessought”. The problem was that the cycle timefor getting vendors to meet the timeline for

those NIEs was a different timeline than ours.What I had asked [the SOSI team] to do, and it didn’t work out, was to have it just read:“Reference [JPEO JTRS MNVR] RfP”.

‘But instead, we decided to do thefollowing. The army has said they want radios that run these advanced networkingwaveforms – WNW and SRW – on that[MNVR]. So we have had the GMR doing that in every NIE.

‘There are a lot of people who arepromising that they have got radios thatrun WNW,’ he said. ‘Well, if that’s the case,we’re not going to do our formal sourceselection until a point in the future. But ifthey can show up [through the “sourcessought” announcements] and startdemonstrating that, good for us – becauseI get to see it and we get to have WNW stillpart of the NIEs.’DB

‘We have recently won a number of contractsin Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,’ offeredAndrew Sheppard, VP and GM, Americas/Europe/Middle East/Central Asia operations, forCodan US. ‘And that is on top of our radiosbeing provided to Afghanistan’s Ministry of theInterior – the Afghan National Police.’

Pointing to more than 15,000 radios fieldedinto Afghanistan since 2005, Sheppard notedthat the company’s main effort now lies in theCentral Asia region, in addition to stabilisationwithin Afghanistan. ‘Our assistance is to the USState Department and counter-narcoticsoperations, where we are providing HF infra-structure where none previously existed. Andwhen you’ve got borders that are really justmountain passes where there is no effectivecontrol, we are providing the infrastructuremechanisms for communications – as well ascommand and control – with data systems as well.’

Sheppard expanded on the challenges ofborder control in many regions of the world,describing it as ‘a huge problem’ and adding:‘It’s not just about putting radios on the ground.Another big part of it is power and other aspects of the logistics. Putting radios out there and training is a challenge in itself. Buthaving something that is sustainable requiressustainable power sources.’

While acknowledging the presence of one ortwo ‘big players’ in these regional markets, heasserted the existence of ‘a huge need for simple,affordable, “logistics easy” radios.’

Central Asian cooperationAccording to Sheppard, one Codan ad-

vantage involves its status as an Australiancompany that is subject to Canberra’s exportrules but is not affected by some of thecomplications and congestion typicallyassociated with the US ITAR environment.

‘If you put a radio out there that has ITARissues, or one that is difficult to support, or one that is complex to operate, or withoutflexible power supplies, it may work for the firstcouple of months,’ he said. ‘But beyond that itbecomes a political headache, where you can’tsupport it.’

��USER FEEDBACK‘That’s an area where I think we’ve been verysuccessful. We’ve had a lot of glowing reportsback from CENTCOM about our systems inCentral Asia. And it’s not just the affordability of it. It’s the long-term life cycle cost of adeployment where these radios do work for theperformance periods.’

‘We’ve had radios out in places likeTurkmenistan for three years now,’ he con-tinued. ‘And it’s that sort of long-term success that really helps these [internationalassistance] programmes.’

In addition to the CENTCOM successes,Sheppard said that Codan has recentlyextended the business model to AFRICOM – inthe form of the African Union C3 InformationSystems programme – and is exploringemerging opportunities with other regionalcombatant commands.

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and scalability – it bridges the gap,’ explained Schacker.

As an example, he highlighted how such a capability could easily be integrated into the Joint Battle Command (JBC), which he described as having ‘poor performanceand lack of maintainability’. Designed to track all assets ranging from aircraft down towarfighters on the ground, JBC ‘topped out’ at 20,000 tracked updates per second, with‘reliability and uptime challenges’, accordingto Schacker.

The US DoD’s goal for JBC was to tracksome 100,000 updates per second. After eight years in development and the use of 21 servers, it emerged that it could only accommodate this number of 20,000.Additionally, he said that the system couldonly operate for 24 hours before crashing.

‘RTI ran a demonstration on a laptop for the DoD. We got to 50,000 updates per

The defence industry is turning to Wall Street to help find solutions for improving thedissemination of C4ISRinformation in campaigns,discovers Andrew White.

It would normally be difficult to associateWall Street with the various asymmetricmilitary campaigns being conducted

around the world. However, technology used in the New York Stock Exchange is being primed to help out such operations, as the defence industry looks to improveinteroperability in the day-to-daydissemination of C4ISR information.

Based on a stocks trading solution, thetechnology is designed to ensure that data isdistributed to ‘server, desktop and mobileapplications’ in order to ‘enable highestpossible performance’ required to integrateboth front and back office operations.

Comparisons with defence applications are obvious, industry experts have suggested.These include real-time situational awarenessand analytics, asset management, continuoussecurity assessment and holistic system-of-systems management.

‘The benefits that come from managing IT and OT [operational technology]convergence, alignment and integrationinclude optimised business processes,enhanced information for better decisions,reduced costs, lower risks and shortenedproject timelines,’ according to technologyresearch specialist Gartner.

One company participating in this effort is Real-Time Innovations (RTI), which is also involved in US efforts to manage aninteroperable network of universal groundcontrol stations (GCS) for unmanned aerialvehicles (UAVs).

�� LEADING THE WAYAccording to Curt Schacker, COO of RTI, the transformation to an interoperable openarchitecture (IOA) began with the governmentowning integration infrastructure, allowing itto acquire various platforms and applications.As he told Digital Battlespace, the UK’s Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA) and US UniversalControl Segment (UCS) programmes areleading the way.

RTI’s Connext system, as used by the New York Stock Exchange, allies operationalsystems and IT systems. ‘You overcome lack of integration power and performance �

The New York Stock Exchange is an unusual ‘benefactor’ for troops engagedon asymmetric operations. (Photos: US DoD)

Military personnel have embracedNYSE technology.

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second and stopped – this was a year ago,’asserted Schacker. However, he believes thatnext-generation technology such as Connextcould achieve up to 250,000 upgrades persecond. As a network operations centretechnical lead on the programme stated: ‘This would not have been possible with any other known technology.’

��CRITICAL REQUIREMENTSSchacker added: ‘This is about data criticalapplications and getting the data from whereit is produced to where it needs to be. It is acritical functional requirement for all theseapplications, and if it doesn’t happen, it goesinto failure mode of some sort or other.

‘Take existing foundation technology and extend that capability by adding anintegration product as well as a new flex anda richer set of communications patterns you’d

normally see in ITenterprises. By combiningthose two capabilities, we areable to deliver the first and onlyedge-to-enterprise real-time SOA[service-orientated architecture]platform – this is something the world needs.’

He continued: ‘There is a real business needbehind all this. This is taking system-of-systems integration and making [sensors]interoperable. This has been our focus for theattention of the government customer andexplains how defence procurement agenciescan achieve IOA within programmes designedand implemented by different primecontractors. This is the holy grail of defenceprocurement, albeit a work in progress.’

At the moment, the UCS working group is tasked to focus purely on GCS. However, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)

remains aware of wider implications acrossother platforms.

As one OSD source explained: ‘This kind of methodology does apply to a lot ofsystems. FACE [Future Airborne CapabilityEnvironment] looks at manned rotorcraft too,and we are going to take what we’ve doneand improve upon it.’

Outlining how the programme was alsoworking alongside the US Army’s Victoryinitiative – an equivalent to the UK’s GVAprogramme – the source added: ‘Strategically,

SOA will play an important role in thedevelopment of the UK’s Scout SV.(Image: GD UK)

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COMPUTERS

tracking and potentially UAVs. Tacticalnetworks are notoriously difficult to getefficient information across. This reduces the time for a battalion to get information on where deployed units are – somethingwhich normally takes far too long.’

At a NATO C3 Agency technology meetingin February, interoperability was discussed atlength, DB was informed. One NATO insidersaid: ‘At NATO, this is the main imperative. Theorganisation is interested in getting a pulsecheck in what’s happening in the market –everybody was pleasantly surprised.

‘Discussions included UCS and GVA, andhow NATO could help defence procurementagencies. There is ongoing dialogue, and insome ways, NATO is not used to working with small companies, but primes. It is about working up more direct relationshipswith NATO.’

According to Lockheed Martin, tounderstand sensor interoperability, onemust look at the problem from a dataperspective. Mark Grablin, director of theairborne reconnaissance systems division at the company, told DB: ‘Radar, EO/IR, ESM, SIGINT all produce data in differentformats, and with interoperability youalmost have to start looking at it from a data perspective.’

�� IN THE CLOUDSAn active member of various consortiatasked with defining and network functionsfor the DoD and NATO, Lockheed Martin has been involved in the implementation oftactical cloud architectures. The worldwideweb Open Cloud Consortium, to name butone, is concerned with the interoperability of data for cloud architectures, and aims

we can leverage demonstrations across manyyears. Other services like the army and navyare looking to do their own. The USN justfinished their common control station and are developing their own business model,which was demonstrated last year.’

�� INTEROPERABLE INTERFACEBeyond the UCS programme, Spain’s armedforces are also in the midst of integrating HFradios and communications infrastructureinto an IP network computer interface.Sources told DB that the country hadmandated a data distribution service asstandard for the interoperability of all sensors supplied by industry.

‘All Spanish integrators are now rolling thisout and changing systems to an interoperableinterface,’ a source said. ‘This encompasses C2,battle management systems, blue-force �

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to define standards for open systems for more than one manufacturer to be able tocontribute to.

‘We then have to adapt those standards for defined requirements,’ explained Grablin.However, he warned that although companieslike Apple had initiated a real-time streamingprotocol, it was fundamentally limited to its own products and nothing else. ‘Thishappened in the late 1990s with militarycustomers,’ he continued. ‘For example, GCS for airborne platforms efficiently worked withvarious vehicles, but wider interoperability wasnot available.’

Describing how industrial cooperation is becoming easier thanks in particular todocumented standards from bodies such asthe WorldWideWeb Consortium, he said: ‘Everyelement of Lockheed Martin is embracing it.The challenge is, with so many differentcustomer sets, how a particular internationalcustomer wishes to solve its problem.’

The challenge, according to Grablin, is clear:‘[It is] the migration of standards themselves.Look at systems such as the [US] Army’sGuardrail system which has been in service for 30 years. The challenge of one version tothe next is backwards interoperability.

‘SOA for DCGS [Distributed CommonGround System] was designed as a migratablestandard. COTS Moore’s Law made it possibleto adapt new standards without changing thearchitecture completely.’

However, according to Grablin, the future will see ‘cloud computing taking SOA to the next level – a time when during

a NATO operation, a UK sensor operating inthat C2 environment is able to arrive andexport information into a cloud allowing NATO C2 to receive and display it. In essence,the through-movement of worldwide ITstandards will allow that to occur – but how to maintain security in such an environment is the challenge.’

�� FROM THE GROUND UPLockheed Martin’s Airborne Multi-INTLaboratory (AML), for example, was built from the ground up as an interoperable, open-standard server. ‘You can move thesensors in or out by keystrokes – not bychanging payloads,’ explained Grablin.

With the USN considering migration of its P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft to more of an open-architecture model, he saidthat AML was mentioned as an example. ‘Wehave completed multiple demonstrations formilitary customers, and shown our ability toquickly adapt the system to operate indifferent environments.’

Again, referring to a US Army C4ISR exercise, Grablin explained how AML changedconfiguration in a ‘matter of days’ in order toreceive information from army-defined GCS.

In June, Lockheed Martin is expected toparticipate in Exercise Unified Vision in Norway,where its Dragon Shield system is due todisplay interoperability with a variety ofinternational control stations.

Speaking to DB at the Singapore Airshow in February, it was clear that FLIR is anothercompany that IOA is an important focus for.Confirming how this was in its businessroadmap, Rob Kubis, director of airborneproduct management at the company,described how the IOA market was ‘gettingbetter with every year’.

‘The [US] DoD is leading the pack, but a few years ago it was Europe in the lead,’ he

said, following up by mentioning Australianand Japanese roles in IOA. The former,according to Kubis, was the first country to usehigh-definition (HD) full-motion video for P-3aircraft as part of 2001’s Operation Falconer inAfghanistan, which saw the platform changemission role for overland flights.

‘With HD, if you get garbage in, you getgarbage out – this can make applicationcompanies look good or bad,’ he said, referring to the processing, exploitation and dissemination of data in particular.

��ALL OR NOTHINGAnother issue has been the switch fromanalogue to digital technology. ‘IOA in theanalogue age was very simple and quick,’continued Kubis. ‘In the digital age, it is easierto get things wrong with it – it is an all ornothing situation.’

Dubbing this threat the ‘damage of digital’, he said there was a lot to learn in order to get this right, not only in South-EastAsia, but across the globe. ‘If you don’t haveIOA with the things we connect with, you get a backlog of problems. It plays a huge part in what we do.’

Kubris described how committees such asthe Motion Imagery Standards Board werehelping to shape IOA standards. ‘For the stepto digital, there was a change in resolution,encoding, decoding and compression,providing huge depth and complexity,’ hesaid. ‘This is mandatory today for all DoDpurchases for all ISR platforms.’

South-East Asia continues to lack C4ISR IOA due to constraints associated with ITAR, according to FLIR. ‘South-East Asia is less exposed to [IOA] because of ITAR constraints for newer generationsystems,’ concluded Kubris. ‘But theyunderstand the technology and are moving up pretty quickly.’DB

The US Army’s JBC is put to work by adismounted warfighter.(Photo: US DoD)

AML is designed to be fully interoperablewith any sensor. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

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The company’s communications-on-the-move (COTM) technology ‘is a key capabilityfor bringing the information to thin clientsthat are actually fighting the war’. COTM isessentially a ‘network in a box’ that can beused to extend the network at the tacticaledge of the battlefield. In August 2011, thecompany announced that it was developinga miniaturised version, saving on weight andpower. It is for brigade-level combat-on-the-move, and ‘allows the soldier to reach intothe cloud’, using the widgets for a ‘smallfootprint capability’.

ISR

Expeditionary forces require quick andseamless communications, no matter whatthe environment. (Photo: US DoD)

Speed and agility enable expeditionary forces to adapt to a vast range of environments.Beth Stevenson discusses some of the systems thatcould make information-sharing faster and moreaccessible, while reducing the support footprint.

As witnessed on recent operations –whether they be ground-based inAfghanistan or air-based over Libya –

expeditionary forces are dealing with a widervariety of operational environments thanever before. The ability to enter a particulartheatre, get the job done and exit with aslittle footprint as possible is a growingrequirement, and a range of solutions havebeen conceived to meet these demands.

‘The key focus is quick, light movements[and] information dominance capabilities,’Steve Frith, senior programme manager atLockheed Martin, told Digital Battlespace,describing how expeditionary deployment is limited and that soldiers must be able toreduce the support footprint, as well asnetwork back-up for systems in the field. ‘The hardware to support the deployment is critical. In this constrained, austerecommunications environment, you arebringing communications with you.’

As a result, military and industry are now focusing on ‘actionable intelligence’ in order to get information to the operator inrigorous conditions as quickly as is required.‘It’s very exciting – we’ve finally come up with a way for the soldier to use thisinformation,’ Frith said, regarding

Lockheed Martin’s efforts in developingexpeditionary capabilities.

The challenge for ground troops is beingable to communicate with all the necessaryparties. Lockheed Martin is focusing on sharedenvironments and is looking at bringing inintelligence, allowing forward commanders to ‘move to cloud computing and thin clients’.The latter refers to a system that relies on other computers in order to carry out its role. These are components of a broaderinfrastructure, using common interfaces or ‘widgets’ to share data.

��A HELPFUL HAND‘There is information in the cloud, and youhave a number of widgets that allow you towork from a handheld device, like Monax or alaptop,’ explained Frith. The data is then pulledout of the cloud for dissemination. He claimedthat the company is working with the US Armyon developing this capability.

Monax is the company’s handheld mobilecommunications system that providespersistent 3G broadband in the field and‘brings information to the forward edge’. It is a ‘mature technology – an actual product’that has two customers within the US, but isawaiting a military decision for deployment.

ITT is currently demonstrating the manpackvariant of GNOMAD to potential customers.(Photo: ITT Exelis)

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‘One of the areas that we are focused on is ISR as a service,’ said Charles Gulledge,programme manager, strategic programmesC4ISR systems division, at Lockheed Martin. He explained that there is an ‘ISR need’ andrevealed that the company is looking atconfiguring and deploying ISR on behalf of the customer, which will lower costs.

With a ‘normal’ purchase, capabilities arelocked in, but because ‘a speed to operatewould be important in an expeditionaryenvironment, customers need to avoid gettinginto the trap of having yesterday’s capability’,explained John Beck, business developmentfor integrated intelligence solutions atLockheed Martin.

Gulledge confirmed that Lockheed Martinhas entered into an agreement for ISR services,but could not go into detail. Speaking to DB atthe Singapore Airshow in February, companyofficials revealed it is now offering its DragonISR solution as a contracted service. The so-called Net Dragon solution is designed tosatisfy the immediate needs of customers who require intelligence aircraft or groundsystems to support missions for a short period of time. ‘Security budgets aredecreasing, yet the demand for ISR remainsconstant,’ said Jim Quinn, VP of C4ISR systemsat the company. ‘With Net Dragon, we are able to provide the ISR capability customersneed without them having to incur theexpense of owning the assets.’

��MARITIME OPTIONSGeneral Dynamics Canada is looking atexpeditionary underwater ISR for counter-mine missions, with the development of itsTrailBlazer Sonar. Developed alongside fishingtechnology specialist Marport, it is based onthe company’s Hydra sonar that is deployedwith the Swedish Navy. ‘It was designed fromthe start to be a very retractable system,’ PeterGiles, product manager for underwater ISR atGeneral Dynamics, told DB. ‘It’s no obstacle tothe hydrodynamics of the ship.’

The company has developed a mineavoidance and advanced mine classificationsonar capability in one, and ‘we think we’vedeveloped something unique’, with two

capabilities in one sonar and at a lower cost.According to Giles, expeditionary forces do not want to have to stop and stand still: ‘In theexpeditionary world, they want the tool attheir disposal.’

TrailBlazer can detect mines from 1km away and identification takes just ‘a fewminutes’. The alternative would be to deployunmanned underwater vehicles or dive teams.‘The operator wants enough range [from the mine] to be able to make an operationaldecision,’ Giles explained. TrailBlazer canprovide the resolution required to identify themine, and ‘this classification capability isimportant for a high operational tempo.’

A total of 18 months in the making, it iscurrently at the development stage, and set toenter sea tests ‘this spring’. Giles also confirmedthat an undisclosed navy is interested in thesystem. ‘Once we have proven the technologyat sea, we will have a transducer that will bemuch more flexible and suitable for multi-missions,’ he said.

ITT Exelis is utilising its currently deployedsystems to further expeditionary capabilities.‘SINCGARS [Single Channel Ground andAirborne Radio System] is the army’s mostprolific radio,’ Ken Flowers, director of businessdevelopment for networked communicationsat the company, told DB. ‘There are some450,000 deployed, and we take advantage of those installed radios.’

The US DoD wants to offer a Soldier RadioWaveform (SRW), a more powerful solutionwith ad-hoc networking, Flowers explained,where ‘one radio is a relay and you have sort ofa daisy chain effect’, adding that it is looking for

a ‘more robust, more agile radio waveform’.Boeing, General Dynamics and NorthropGrumman all use ITT’s waveform.

‘One offering is SideHat,’ he continued.‘Rather than embed an entire new radio, wetake advantage of the current footprint. Ourvalue proposition is that instead of the armybuying an entirely new radio, we offer anaffordable attachment for SINCGARS.’ Thedevice attaches to the same mount as theSINCGARS, offering a software-defined radiomodule that costs ‘significantly less’ thandeveloping a whole new system.

It is an independent chassis, but bothcomponents are controlled by the samekeyboard. ‘It slides right into the tray and pullspower from the SINCGARS tray and GPS from it too,’ explained Flowers. Taking one minute toput it in, the operators can then ‘do the normalprogramming – it’s very easy’.

��HATS OFFDuring Network Integration Evaluation (NIE)12.1, which took place at Fort Bliss, Texas, andWhite Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, at the end of last year, one- to four-channel radiooptions were tested using SideHat, which hedescribed as ‘very successful’.

‘From a SideHat standpoint, we were able to range out to approximately 20km, which isvery good in comparison to other companies –we anticipate being in NIE 13.1 this fall,’explained Flowers, stating that the next testing will be a ‘continued and more rigorous evaluation’.

He also confirmed that ITT spoke to othercompanies such as General Dynamics, Harrisand Northrop Grumman about integratingdifferent systems during the testing, and said that any SRW radio will be able to useSideHat: ‘We had to develop and stabilise thewaveform to make sure it was interoperableacross industry.’

SideHat is currently going through thecertification process with the National SecurityAgency, which usually takes 12-18 months. It is then ‘fully blessed by the DoD’, which willallow ITT to market it as a certified radio. Thecompany is continuing to test the system inthe meantime.

SideHat can be integrated into a SINCGARStray in minutes. (Photo: ITT Exelis)

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ITT’s Global Network on the Move-ActiveDistribution (GNOMAD), which has beendeployed to Iraq, was also tested in NIE 12.1.The company provided nine systems for the testing: six on Mine Resistant AmbushProtected vehicles, two on High MobilityMultipurpose Wheeled Vehicles and one on an Armoured Medical Treatment Vehicle.‘[GNOMAD] interfaced with almost every radio you can imagine out there,’ RossOsborne, senior manager for businessdevelopment at ITT Exelis, told DB. During NIE 13.1 it will undergo additional testing andthe company is aiming to achieve 2013/14army hardware integration.

GNOMAD was developed for ‘targeting anon-the-move requirement within the army’,following requirements from Afghanistan andIraq at combat level. It allows commandersto input into the system, and planand conduct live operations,which troops were not able to do on the move before,explained Osborne.

He said that ‘it can establishinfrastructure in an immediate andminimal capacity’, with up to four radios plugged into it, and can expand as required for a ‘very cost-effective andscalable’ solution. The system has beendeployed with the US Army 4th InfantryDivision in Iraq for some 12 months, with 12systems in total – five in the US and seven inSouth-East Asia.

In addition, ITT Exelis is developing theMicrosat Man-Packable Mission Command,which is a manpack variant of GNOMADcurrently being demonstrated to potentialcustomers. The company is also looking into a maritime variant. It is understood thatthereare ‘several’ European customersinterested in the system, in addition to four to five in the Pacific Rim.

��SMALLER AND FASTERIn February 2011, Rockwell Collins launchedthe MicroGRAM GPS receiver that is a smaller,

lightweight version of its Miniature PrecisionLightweight GPS Receiver Engine SelectiveAvailability Anti-spoofing Module. ‘RockwellCollins is currently talking to multiple C4ISRcustomers, ranging from radios to mini-UAVsto other specialised devices and systems,’ Al Simon, principal marketing manager at the company, told DB.

It is engineered to minimise its footprintand power usage, and has been optimised to allow rapid acquisition of the GPS satellites when power is first supplied to it, according to Rockwell. The company also offers its Defense Advanced GPS Receiver,which provides real-time position, velocity,navigation and timing information towarfighters in all services and mission areas.

Simon said that thecompany is working

with expeditionaryand special

operations forceswith regard to

applying andintegrating these

products. ‘Typical challenges when working with the expeditionary/

special operations customers include securityand unique performance requirementscommonly associated with specialisedmissions,’ explained Simon.

‘Common implications of enhancedsecurity requirements include increased costs, longer schedules due to slower staffing ramp-ups and/or security clearances.The implications of unique performancerequirements include increased costs due to distinctive product configurations andtypically low-volume production runs.’

Simon described these types of missions as ‘very important’, and said that counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and irregularwarfare remain primary operations of the

armed forces. ‘Expeditionary C4ISR directlysupports these missions, as well as others,’ hesaid. ‘The campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistanover the past decade have clearly demandedthis capability. Our recently declared nationaldefence strategy and focus on specialoperations also emphasise this capability.’

�� LIGHTER ON ITS FEETIn response to the USMC’s Common AviationCommand and Control System (CAC2S)programme, ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS)set up its expeditionary warfare laboratory inCalifornia last year. ‘We’ve seen an increasedinterest in mobile expeditionary,’ Wayne Scott, programme manager for CAC2S at TRS, told DB. ‘We’ve got some great C2capabilities… how do we focus on deliveringthose capabilities so that a military force canoperate rapidly with a reduced footprint?’

He explained that in Iraq and Afghanistanthere was ‘an increased dependency on IT and there’s been a huge logistics impact’, withsoldiers now looking for a reduced logisticsfootprint. The expeditionary lab aims at ‘not so much innovating C2 capabilities, butpackaging them in smaller, lighter packagingfor a decreased footprint’.

It looks at reducing the size and weight of existing systems, with lower powerconsumption yet the same range ofcapabilities, although Scott could not go into detail regarding specific platforms. It isnot just about the physical dimensions, Scottpointed out, but also developing network-centric capabilities, including particular datalinks, for example.

As well as working on Raytheon’s systems,TRS is considering third-party vendors inorder to work on platforms for this missiontype that the former company does not offer.It is also looking at being able to developclassified systems, because at present it is not certified to do so.

If it adheres to ITAR, ‘anything we learn inthe lab can potentially be used on aninternational programme’, concluded Scott,confirming that the USN is also looking into asimilar programme to the USMC’s CAC2S, forwhich an RfI has been issued. DB

MicroGRAM can be installed inmini-UAVs as well as radios.

MicroDAGR provides real-time data towarfighters. (Photos: Rockwell Collins)

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Network Technologies, has recently been announced as sponsorof the Simulation for Cyber Security session.

Responding to the assertion of the UK’s National Cyber SecurityStrategy to ‘build cross-cutting knowledge, skills and capability tounderpin all cyber security objectives’, cyber training specialists,as well as those already exhibiting at ITEC, will all be encouragedto showcase their cyber security offerings. Across industry, anumber of long-standing ITEC exhibitors have identified the needfor innovative solutions to this ongoing threat and are currentlydeveloping cyber-related products; these include Cassidian,Raytheon, Thales and Finmeccanica.

First time exhibitor, QinetiQ, will showcase a number of itsnewest offerings to the industry, while Israel’s Elbit Systems is to demonstrate a new Cyber Training Simulator. CamberCorporation, a regular at ITEC, is also showing a Cyber Enhanced Network Training Simulator (CENTS).

Future forumIn addition to tackling the much-publicised threat fromcyberspace, the military simulation and training community ischarged with providing the most cost-effective and time-efficientsolutions to a complex myriad of combat-related challenges.

Arguably the most concerning conflict which faces us today cannot be fought physically, but is instead being waged on theWorld Wide Web. Characterised by ceaseless unpredictability,developments in cyberspace are advancing at an alarmingly rapid rate and it is now acknowledged as the ‘fifth domain’ ofmodern warfare.

Tackling the immense threat is proving a primary concernshaping the strategy of governments and militaries around theworld. Consequentially, the comprehensive implementation ofrobust training methodologies is acknowledged as essential if we are to successfully secure our systems against thisunprecedented attack.

ITEC, the internationally acclaimed conference and exhibitionfocused on military training, education and simulation, provides an ideal platform for a thorough exploration of this increasinglydeadly dimension to global conflict. The event will be held 22-24 May at ExCeL, London.

For over two decades, ITEC has been recognised as Europe’s leading arena for the display of significant new trainingcapabilities and the discussion of issues of key importance to theglobal training community. The event is organised by ClarionEvents Ltd in collaboration with the National Training SimulationAssociation (NTSA) and is hosted annually by a variety of majorEuropean cities. Lille, Lausanne, Maastricht, Prague, Brussels,Stockholm and Cologne have all previously been venues,emphasising the internationality of training for military andnational security forces.

Training for the digital battlefieldCyber attack costs British business an estimated £21 billion ($33 billion) a year, including £7.6 billion from industrialespionage, and the UK Government has recently pledged £650 million to protect and counter against these crimes.Reflecting this, Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, the UKGovernment’s Special Representative to Business for CyberSecurity is to deliver the keynote presentation at ITEC’s first CyberSecurity Training and Education Workshop – an innovative additionto the event, which will take place during the show, 23-24 May.

The rise in digital danger has presented the global military training and simulation community with a unique set of requirements and opportunities for innovation. Responding to this, ITEC’s cyber workshop will see delegates from the public andprivate spheres join leading representatives from government,military and the defence industry, as well as eminent figures from across civil industry and academia, to discuss challengesand solutions to a major threat which faces us all.

Pioneering cyber security training content will be presented by a series of eminent speakers within five main themes: Policy,Protocol and Plans; Human Capital for Cyber Security; Education andTraining for Future Threats; Human Factors and the Insider Threat; andSimulation for Cyber Security. Experts in increasing the capability ofcommunications systems on the cyber ‘battlefield’, SCALABLE

ITEC – Demonstrating the latest digital

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Acknowledged as the foremost forum for the debate, display and discussion of military simulation and training, this year’s ITEC conference is tailored to offer an expert overview across awide range of topical issues. Featuring a series of compellingsessions within a strategically themed format, the agenda aims to examine every aspect of current and future training and simulation technology: Addressing the People Dimension;Maintaining the Technological Advantage; Meeting Current and Future Operational Needs; and Designing and Acquiring the BestTraining Solutions.

NATO, a long-established ally of ITEC, will again demonstrateits support with a strong presence throughout the show. Running a series of workshops focused on Exploiting CommercialTechnologies and Games for Use by NATO, Wayne Buck, Training andSimulation analyst, NATO Allied Command Transformation, is alsoscheduled to chair a revealing session on Simulation as a NATOCapability Development Enabler.

Explaining NATO’s ongoing commitment to the show, Wayne Buck confirmed: ‘For the past several years, NATO hasparticipated in ITEC because it is the premier simulation andtraining event in Europe. It attracts the best of industry andgovernment. One of the continuing activities of Allied Command

Transformation is to seek solutions to military requirements aswell as continue to improve on the resolution of the militaryrequirement itself. ITEC has been invaluable in this search byproviding a venue for information sharing activities.’

Uncover the latest military innovationA unique showcase of the latest innovations for the militarysimulation and training market, ITEC combines the needs of those who define, influence, procure and implement militarytraining from Europe and beyond. This is evidenced by the steadystream of new participants that will be featuring at this year’sevent, as well as those companies returning after an absence of some years.

Training troops to understand and respond to the nuances of a foreign language, while maintaining an awareness of culturalconsiderations, requires not only sophisticated technology but also significant expertise. Employing a combination of learningand social sciences with its patented technology, Alelo will useITEC to showcase its unique range of realistic, mission-relevantvirtual environments in which learners can practice theircommunication skills. Endorsed by many thousands of military,governmental and general public users around the world, Alelo’sproducts, such as the Virtual Cultural Awareness Trainer andMyEnglish, provide effective performance-oriented training for intercultural competence and world languages.

Advanced communications technology will be demonstrated byFreeWave Technologies. The company’s range of impressive radiosystems, currently in operation with a number of governmentalorganisations such as the US Department of Defense, can beapplied to a variety of roles, including: command and control ofunmanned vehicles and robotics; biological and chemical sensing;asset tracking; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Micro UAV;guided parachutes; and soldier training.

The British Army’s Directorate of Training will also be usingITEC 2012 to brief industry on its training needs for the comingyears. The Service is currently finalising its training strategy and sees ITEC as an ideal opportunity to give industry a clearunderstanding of the capabilities it is seeking and to learn aboutaffordable new solutions.

Specialising in training within the UK defence community, theUK MoD’s Defence Centre of Training Support (DCTS) is planningits first appearance at the show. Acknowledging ITEC’s ability tobring together a broad range of those involved in the research,design and delivery of defence learning technology solutions, Wing Commander David Smith, DCTS SO1 Learning Technologies,confirmed that ‘the Defence Centre of Training Support will beusing ITEC 2012 to demonstrate to both industry and the Defencecommunity how the appropriate use of learning technologies canbe used as part of innovative blended learning solutions, to ensurethat the right training is delivered, to the right people, at the righttime, to support operational capability’.To register to attend ITEC 2012, visit: www.itec.co.uk/DB

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Top right and centre: Alelo’s VirtualCultural Awareness Trainer

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All along the

CSIDS incorporates a variety of sensor types(including EO and radar); is capable of inter-sensor cueing, target tracking and alarmzone/area-of-interest designation; and makesuse of a multi-sensor C2 software packagethat integrates sensor outputs, generatesoverall and individual sensor displays andprovides system control and status data.Overall, CSIDS architecture can control up to16 radars and 16 EO sensors simultaneously,process up to 320 individual target tracks andbe configured as a vehicle-mountedarchitecture, if required.

While CSIDS exemplifies current thinking inthe field, it must be stressed that Thales is oneof many contractors with an interest.

In the 21st century, attention has beenincreasingly focused on defendingborders from what seems to be an

ever-expanding range of threats. Alongsidetraditional border management issues, suchas port and airport control, current concernsinclude terrorist incursions, drug traffickingand illegal economic migration.

World events are also forcing the re-definition of exactly what a border is, asagencies attempt to execute some elementsof protection at arm’s length and try to definewhat the boundaries are between traditionalborder patrol and securing national assets,such as biomass resources, oil and gasreserves and food.

��SENSING THE THREATLand border protection ranges from physicalbarriers (such as the West Bank barrier that is being constructed to separate Israel and the Palestinian territories) to increasinglysophisticated surveillance systems providingthreat alerts in real time and incorporatingsensor systems such as EO imagers, radarsand acoustic and motion sensors. As anexample, Thales used the 2012 SingaporeAirshow to showcase its CombinedSurveillance and Intrusion Detection System (CSIDS) that is designed for both fixed-site protection and border surveillance.

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DIGITAL BATTLESPACE | March/April 2012 | Volume 4 Number 2 www.digital-battlespace.com

With a rise in threatsand confusion overdefining boundaries,Martin Streetly reportson the current trendsand systems availablefor border protectionand homeland security.

King Air platforms are used for a variety of missions, rangingfrom fire monitoring to interdiction. (Photo: US DoD)

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aircraft (MPA); at least 17 Hawker BeechcraftB200s; eight Lockheed Martin P-3 AirborneEarly Warning and Control (AEW&C) variants;eight P-3A/B Long-Range Trackers (LRT); and five Piper PA-42 Customs High Endurance Tracker (CHET) surveillance aircraft to monitor US borders and contiguous air and sea spaces.

The five CHET’s have a five-hour enduranceand are equipped with a variant of the X-band (8-12.5GHz) Northrop GrummanAN/APG-66(V) fire control radar and an L-3Wescam MX-15 EO sensor. The aircraft areused to ‘intercept’ targets that are thought tobe homeland security or drug-related threats.

As their designation suggests, the CBP’seight P-3 LRT platforms (also known as ‘slicks’)perform a similar role at longer ranges and aredivided into two configurations. The first

accounts for four aircraft fitted outwith a Raytheon AN/APG-63(V) fire

control radar, a FLIR Systems Star SafireEO/IR imaging turret and a long-range

Customs Airborne Stabilized Optic System(CASOS) EO sensor. The remaining four‘second generation’ LRTs are fitted with an

AN/APG-66(V) radar, CASOS provisionand an L-3 Wescam MX-20 EO sensor.

According to a recent North AmericanTechnology and Industrial Base Organization-sponsored survey, no less than 34 companiesworldwide are capable of supplying bordersurveillance architectures, equipment and/orcontrol and communications systems.

Alongside mix-and-match solutions, such as CSIDS, Digital Battlespace has alsoidentified forward projection as a growingtrend within the border security arena.Such an approach is nowhere betterillustrated than by the US defence of itsnorthern and southern land boundaries withCanada and Mexico respectively. As an aside(and while the problems of both drug andhuman trafficking along the

US-Mexico border are most frequentlyhighlighted), relatively light policing of thecountry’s frontier with Canada has over timeprovided a conduit for contraband and ameans of illegal entry.

Again, the events of 9/11 have meant thatUS borders are now seen in three dimensions,with the sea and air taking on much greaterimportance as potential venues for terroristattack. In such an environment, the USDepartment of Homeland Security’s (DHS)Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Air and Marine (OAM) has amassed what inmany countries would be considered an airforce to detect and track potential threats well beyond the US physical borders.

�� EYES IN THE SKIESCBP OAM is currently operating a fleet of 25 Cessna 550s; two General AtomicsAeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) Guardians;

five Predator B unmanned aerialvehicles; seven de Havilland

Canada Dash 8multirole patrol

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CBP operates a fleet of five Predator B UAVsto patrol the US northern and southern landborders. (Photo: GA-ASI)

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The organisation’s eight P-3 AEW&Cplatforms are nicknamed ‘domes’ and areequipped with Lockheed Martin’s AN/APS-145 AEW radar. Frequently working in concertwith the LRTs, they are described as being akey component of the DHS ‘defence in depth’strategy. Elsewhere, a percentage of CBP’s 17 B200 King Airs are fitted out with an 8.9-9.4GHz-band L-3 Communications ElectronicSystems APS-504(V)5 surveillance radar and an EO sensor for ‘air interdiction’ duties, whilethe seven Dash 8 MPAs carry a mission suitethat includes a 9.4-9.8GHz band Raytheon SV-20321 SeaVue surveillance radar, an MX-15 EO sensor turret and ATK’s IntegratedSensors and Display System.

Continuing the catalogue, the five Predator Bs are equipped with GA-ASI’sAN/APY-8 Lynx Block 20 ground moving target indication (GMTI) and synthetic aperture radar, a Raytheon AN/AAS-52 Multi-Spectral Targeting System-A (MTS-A) EO/IRimaging system, relay and air traffic controlradios and a Ku-band (12.5-18GHz) satellitecommunications and control link.

��COMPLETE COVERAGEThe remaining air vehicles are designated asGuardian platforms and differ from their peersin being fitted out with winglets, an ExpandedMission Capability (XMC) variant of Raytheon’sSeaVue surveillance radar and an enhancedEO/IR sensor, thought to be a variant ofRaytheon’s AN/DAS-1 MTS-B equipment thathas been optimised for over-water operations.

Most recently, three of the OAM Predatorshave been stationed at Sierra Vista, Arizona,with the remainder flown out of Grand Forks,North Dakota. Of the two Guardian airframes,one is based at Cocoa Beach, Florida, while the other resides at Corpus Christi, Texas.

Finally, the CBP’s 25 Cessna 550 ‘interceptors’carry a mission suite that includes the AN/APG-66(V) fire control radar and a FLIRsensor that is believed to be Raytheon’sAN/AAS-36 equipment. Taken together, these 77 airframes allow US forces to bothmonitor the country’s various land, sea and airboundaries and to push the threat detectionenvelope well beyond these frontiers.

The CBP’s airborne surveillance fleet isbeing recapitalised. Here, both the ‘slicks’ andthe ‘domes’ are being progressively re-wingedto extend their service lives, while the LRTs arealso being retrofitted with the SeaVue XMCradar, in addition to their existing fire controlsensors. Elsewhere, CBP has embarked on the first stages of a programme to replace the AN/APG-66(V) radars aboard its Cessna550s with Selex Galileo’s Vixen 500E activeelectronically scanned array (AESA) radarequipment (including a mission managementsystem) and to upgrade their cockpits. Ifsuccessful in trials, the CBP is known to want to modify all 24 of its Cessna 550s to the new standard.

Potentially even more significant is the CBP OAM’s King Air 350-based MultiroleEnforcement Aircraft (MEA) effort. Intended toreplace three existing types of CBP air vehicles(assumed to include the MPAs and King AirB200s), the Sierra Nevada Corporation-developed MEA will be capable of ‘groundinterdiction, air-to-air intercept and medium-range maritime patrol’ operations.

The aircraft will start life with a mission suite that includes Selex Galileo’s 8-10GHz-band Seaspray 7500E multi-mode AESA surveillance radar, an EO/IRsensor (to include laser rangefinding/illumination, charge-coupled device TVcamera, camera spotter scope and IR camera payloads), a line-of-sight SATCOMcapability and at least one removable sensoroperator’s console.

‘Desired capabilities’ for the future includethe introduction of a signals intelligencecapability and a ‘two-way, over-the-horizondata/imagery transfer link’. The first MEA was rolled out on 11 May 2011, and if fullyconsummated, the complete programme will involve the procurement of 50 aircraft.

Alongside a sizeable contingent of CBPairborne surveillance assets, the US borderwith Mexico and its Gulf coast is home to theUSAF Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS),which also seeks to push the detection

envelope beyond the country’s physicalborder by means of sensor elevation. Servingthe US Northern and Southern Commands, aswell as the CBP, TARS is designed to detect low-altitude air threats at stand-off ranges over theUS-Mexico land border, the Florida Straits anda section of the Caribbean.

��BIGGER PICTUREThe network makes use of 275 and 420Kaerostats equipped with Lockheed Martin’s L-band (1-2GHz) L-88 surveillance radar. Soequipped, the eight TARS sites (Fort Huachucaand Yuma in Arizona; Deming in New Mexico;Eagle Pass, Marfa and Rio Grande City in Texas; Cudjoe Key in Florida; and Lajas inPuerto Rico) provide surveillance out to ranges of up to 370km.

As might be expected, the use of aerostatsfor border surveillance is not restricted to theUS, with India, Israel, Italy, Kuwait and the UAEall identified as having acquired suchcapabilities. India has procured at least twoTCOM 71M aerostats equipped with IsraeliEL/M-2083 Aerostat Programmable Radars(APR), while Israel is known to have been alongtime user of aerostats both for airsurveillance and as a means of monitoringactivity on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli manufacturers Elta Systems andRafael Advanced Defence Systems (ADS) are

CBP Cessna 550 ‘interceptors’ are being upgraded withSelex Galileo’s Vixen 500E AESA radar. (Photo: CBP)

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both known to have developed aerostat-based homeland security solutions, with theformer’s efforts being concentrated on its EL/I-3330 Multi-Payload Aerostat System(MPAS) architecture. Making use of a TCOM32M aerostat, the baseline MPAS incorporatesa GMTI radar and a day/night imaging EOsensor, with the system reporting to anassociated ground exploitation station.Capable of remaining on-station for up to four weeks, the MPAS radar offers detectionranges of up to 20km against vehicles whenoperating at an altitude of 3,300ft.

Rafael ADS continues to promote a genericaerostat capability that can accommodatesurveillance radars, signals intelligenceequipment, EO imagers and communicationsgear, and which links into a dedicated C2 and operations centre. Such architectures aresaid to be capable of operating at altitudes ofmore than 20,000ft and as offering detectionranges of up to 480km.

��GOING COASTALUS contractor TCOM is also the source forItaly’s 32M-based South Adriatic AerostatCoastal Surveillance (SAACS) system that the country’s navy set up at San Cataldo insouthern Italy during 1998. Designed tomonitor surface activity in the Adriatic, SAACS incorporated an AN/APG-66SRsurveillance radar, an L-3 Communications EO sensor, a General Dynamics URC-200 line-of-sight transceiver, a Northrop Grumman

LTN-92 inertial navigation system andnationally developed software and radartracking equipment.

Kuwait acquired a TCOM 71M aerostat-based low-altitude surveillance system during 2003, and equipped it with a missionsuite that incorporates a Northrop GrummanL-band AN/TPS-63 surveillance radar and an ITT Exelis AR-900 electronic supportmeasures package.

The UAE’s border surveillance capability is built around two architectures designatedthe Emirates Coastal Defense Aerostat Systemand the Off-Road Tactical Aerostat System(ORTAS). Of the two, the former employs aTCOM 32M aerostat that is equipped with amaritime surveillance radar, a 30MHz-3GHz-band radio repeater and a FLIR Systems EO sensor. FLIR Systems is also the primarysensor supplier for the truck-mounted ORTASsystem, which makes use of a TCOM 17Maerostat and is said to be used ‘primarily forborder reconnaissance’.

As these examples show, aerostat solutions are viable as border surveillancetools despite vulnerability to extreme weather conditions. It is thought that thetechnology developed for the PersistentGround Surveillance System, Persistent Threat Detection System and the RapidAerostat Initial Deployment base protectionsolutions fielded in south-west Asia will in future find a ready market in bordersurveillance and/or homeland security.

��OPTIONALLY MANNEDIn the longer term, the same is probably trueof the new generation of optionally mannedsurveillance airships such as the Mav6 M1400-I ‘Blue Devil 2’ and Northrop Grumman’s long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle that, atthe time of writing, were due to be deployedin Afghanistan by the US military.

There are several possibilities offered byUAVs as persistent border surveillance toolswith CBP already making use of such vehicles.There is little doubt of their utility in the role,but a major stumbling block remains thedifficulty of integrating unmanned platformsinto civilian airspace.

The Swiss Army is playing a major role in the resolution of such problems through its experience of operating Ranger air vehiclesfor border patrol, search and rescue and event security patrolling. The service hasdeveloped tactics and equipment (includingfixed flight ceilings, the ability to operate inCategory III weather conditions, and fixed and mobile ground-based sense-and-avoidcommunications stations) that have facilitatedsafe UAV operation for almost 13 years. Most recently, Switzerland has announced a programme to make use of an optionallymanned, DA42-based Centaur UAV surrogateto further investigate the expansion of UAVoperating envelopes.

India has acquired at least two TCOM 71Maerostats equipped with Elta Systems’ EL/M-2083 APR radar for border surveillance.(Photo: TCOM)

Diamond’s DA42 has also formed the basisof an optionally manned ISR technologydemonstration for the EU Frontex bordersecurity agency. Undertaken during 2011, the DA42 analogue was used to stream videofrom an onboard FLIR Systems EO/IR sensorto assess how rapidly ISR tools could bedeployed while maintaining linkage withexisting infrastructure.

During the course of the effort, UScontractor Lockheed Martin providedintegration, link and processing services, and at the time of publication was awaitingFrontex’s decision on whether to proceedwith an operational capability based on thedemonstration that would provide a level ofpersistent surveillance along the EU’s seafrontier with North Africa. DB

The EU’s Frontex border security agencyhas experimented with an optionallymanned DA42 analogue as a persistent ISR tool. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

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FINAL WORD

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DIGITAL BATTLESPACE | March/April 2012 | Volume 4 Number 2 www.digital-battlespace.com

Rise of the machinesDuring service with the UK RAF, Peeters

highlighted how the MoD had its work cut out to ensure all frontline troops hadoperational personal role radios. ‘Dedicatedsatellite channels were in high demand,’ heexplained. ‘This meant that the use of theSATCOM channels for anything other thanprimary communications with a frontlineregiment, operating hundreds of miles frombase out of range of radio transmissions andbeyond-line-of-sight, was so impractical it was virtually impossible.’

However, he said that today a ‘proliferation’of carriers offering affordable, reliable andmost importantly secure SBD transmissionshas opened up the possibilities for all militarycommunications applications, includingM2M-optimised BFT.

‘Interestingly though, militaries are nowapproaching us with requests to use thepowerful data handling capability of the BFT system to add M2M functionality to theirexisting systems within their command post[CP],’ explained Peeters. ‘While my experiencein Joint Helicopter Command suggests that a natural use for M2M comms would betelemetry on deployed choppers reportingon altitude, speed levels, damage taken, fuellevels and ammunition status – the querieswe’re receiving now highlight how farbattlefield M2M thinking has come.’

In fact, M2M intelligence gathering seems to be gaining popularity, as moremilitaries familiarise themselves with what is available in terms of SBD SATCOM. He saidan undisclosed unit had approached thecompany with plans to use a small, very low-megapixel camera to send tiny images of no more than 10kb back to the CP.

‘The camera is triggered when a lasertripwire is broken, and the satellite device issmall and robust enough to just sit in a nearbytree in “sleep mode”, only becoming activewhen it needs to send a photo down thepipe,’ he added. ‘You could argue that such alow-resolution image holds no value, but

even at this level it’s possible to garnerinformation on troop numbers, types ofvehicle and armaments – all of which couldprove to be invaluable intelligence.’

Using commercial SBD to enhance the CP also has added security advantages. ‘Whiledigital radio frequencies are encrypted toprevent interception and information leaks, it is still possible for the enemy to monitor the airwaves and establish when and whereyou’re transmitting from – the potentialblocking or disruption of the VHF/UHF/HFsignal then becomes a security issue. SATCOM provides what is essentially silent,undetectable data comms, which are virtuallyimpossible to block and decipher.’

�� NO LIMITSAccording to Peeters, the possibilities forintelligence gathering to complement CPs are almost limitless. ‘Imagine if you couldautomatically redirect drones on a battlefieldto the most serious enemy engagement?’ he continued. ‘Time taken to assess numbersand threat levels could be collapsed by asimple piece of software, and automaticredeployment planning could take placealmost instantly.’

Finally, drawing comparisons with thehealth sector, he concluded: ‘M2M is alreadyused to monitor the hearts of patients withpacemakers and automate minor electricpulses to correct errant coronary palpitations.Imagine if the same could be done withtroops; initially it wouldn’t have to becomplex, just a measurement of bloodpressure or heart rate for example, sent to the CP, but it could very well be the differencebetween life, death and mission success or failure.’ DB

Future military strategy will encompassincreased levels of machine-to-machine(M2M) communications, as leaps in

technology benefit modern-day warfare in ‘austere and remote’ environments. So says Giles Peeters, defence sector director at blue force tracking (BFT) specialist Track24 Defence.

According to Peeters, it is now imperative for militaries to further explore the increasedcapability that M2M communications canoffer: ‘It is impossible to ignore the efficiencies,added intelligence and protection with which you can provide your military assets by sending basic short-burst data [SBD]transmissions over an affordable, securecommercial satellite network.

‘As a consequence, we expect to seecommercial satellite carriers releasing military-specific, tailor-made data plans, which consider military SBD applications. Thecommercial sector is, as usual, well advanced inits use of the technology, as it leads to hugecapital and operational savings – but we’restarting to see global militaries realise M2Mpotential as well.’

Describing how M2M had been developedin the commercial world, Peeters outlined how such technology was unsuitable on the 21st-century battlefield, where reliable and secure GSM and GPRS networks can befew and far between.

�� FUTURE TRANSMISSIONS‘Modern day M2M military applications nolonger rely on telemetry, but now utilise public networks,’ he continued. ‘Theaffordability of commercial satellite networksmeans militaries are turning to beyond-line-of-sight, low-cost, SBD transmissions, andassociated small, powerful and robust SATCOM hardware, as opposed to just limited line-of-sight VHF/UHF transmissions. In fact, it’s looking increasingly likely thatsatellite SBD will be key to future military M2M communications.’

Andrew White talks to Giles Peeters of Track24 Defence aboutthe future applications of machine-to-machine communicationand how global militaries are starting to realise its potential.

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