Contract Award: Cassidian to provide its Operations Support System for sustaining German Army's MedEvac missions

News Report

As reported in a recent press release, EADS's Cassidian will support the Forward Air Medical Evacuation (FwdAirMedEvac) mission carried out with NH90 helicopters of the German Army in the evacuation of ill and injured persons. For this purpose, the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) ordered a total of eight units of Cassidian’s mobile EUA operations support system for mission control, preparation and planning.

From the end of 2012, German Army Aviation will be in charge of providing forward air medical evacuation in Afghanistan using their NH90 helicopters. The FwdAirMedEvac helicopters will provide a solid base for emergency medical care for German soldiers in crisis areas.

The Technology

Cassidian's EUA operations support system combines operational command and control with technical logistic support. The system offers reliable support of on-board systems and avionics equipment with adaptable configurations for planning, updating and analysing the airborne operations. EUA covers all aspects from communication, tactical situation management, mission preparation, briefing up to mission restitution / debriefing and it offers support for maintenance planning for aircraft operation.

Its current adaptation complements its extension ordered in May last year for the support helicopter Tiger ASGARD (Afghanistan Stabilisation German Army Rapid Deployment) which, from October 2012, will also be used to support the German mission in Afghanistan. The EUA operations support system, developed by Cassidian, integrates the capabilities of the German helicopters into the integrated military command, which is ensured via the German Army C3I System (FüInfoSys H), for both MedEvac and armed support missions.

The new generation of the EUA with an updated software configuration allows the system to be used for all helicopter types of the German Army and Air Force: the support helicopter (UH) Tiger, the tactical transport helicopter (TTH), the light transport helicopter (LTH) NH90 and the transport helicopter CH-53GA. In future, the German Armed Forces will operate their helicopter fleet using a standardised operations support system which not only enables operational readiness to be increased, but also permits operating costs to be reduced.

From the end of 2012, the EUA will also be used to support the missions of the HAD and HAP variants of the Spanish Tiger helicopters.

References: EADS (1), ILA (2)

The transformation of Command and Control in U.S. Air Force Cyber Vision

News Report

An interesting entry appeared on National Defense, discussing the approach undertaken by U.S. AirForce on cyber warfare. The article illustrates how the U.S. Air Force is working toward an Air Force Cyber Vision 2025 study that will look at state-of-the-art and best practices in the near term (2012-2015) to the long term in 2025.

Such initiative is linked with a specific Request for Information, issued on last January 11th by the U.S. Department of the Air Force, in which the interested parties are asked to submit all the information that is required to support the U.S. service in shaping the needs that will be required for cyberspace exploitation, defense, and operations.

Command and Control in the Cybersphere

According to the above mentioned RFI, U.S. Air Force is seeking information on revolutionary hardware and software cyber technology and systems as well as innovative Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) that will support, augment and in some cases extend mission range and scope. In addition, U.S. Air Force is interested in operational innovations that provide immediate and long-term applicable, cost-effective operational capability and technological superiority for Air Force operations. Also of interest are enabling mission support elements and supporting best practices that provide the foundation for cyber capabilities across the other domains.

In such context, a special interest for U.S. Air Force is related on how the exercise of Command and Control is conducted in and through cyberspace. It appears in fact that the practice of procedural versus positive control over air assets and the time scales of the C2 planning and execution cycles do not translate well to cyberspace where decision cycles hover around a fraction of a second. Conversely, placing cyber assets under procedural control requires the incorporation of a set of previously agreed upon rules for a broad range of future scenarios.

Integrated planning must take into consideration the challenges of cyberspace deconfliction, Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF) procedures and the potential of cyber fratricide and cross-domain (air/space/cyber) fratricide. The ability to tag and identify cyber assets and to continuously ascertain their status and integrity creates technical challenges unique to cyberspace.

Simply porting technologies developed for C2ISR in the air and space domain may not be directly applicable or useful in the cyber domain. At the same time, today cyber defense philosophies make little use of military strategy and tactics. Military commanders know that there are times when the best defensive strategy is to take the offensive. They also know the value of the tactics of deception and maneuver. The fact that cyber defense philosophies, such as the defense-in-depth philosophy, do not take advantage of offensive operations, or use the tactics of deception and maneuver, inhibits the defenders from being as effective as the attackers. Current cyber defense strategies tend to be static and their tactics tend to be reactive. The trend is to build layers of static defenses in the hope that every attack will be defeated by at least one of the layers. When this fails, there is a reaction that consists of determining where and how the defenses were penetrated, patching the defenses to stop future similar penetrations, and restoring the system to a coherent state.

The integration of kinetic assets and the effects they produce are also at a formative stage. C2 capabilities for monitoring, assessing, planning, and executing cyber operations need to be designed, developed, and implemented to be interoperable with existing air and space capabilities. The U.S. Air Force is thus interested in novel and unique approaches to enable C2ISR in an environment that is not constrained by time, distance, and geographical boundaries.

In this framework, new modeling and simulation (M&S) approaches appear critical to integrating cyber techniques into military operations. M&S tools need to assess effectiveness of cyber capabilities and actions for operations, planning, acquisition, and testing. together with evaluation tools that can capture the effects of combined kinetic and non-kinetic operations.

References: National Defense (1), FBO.gov (2), DoDCCRP (3)

NATO Air Command and Control Information Services project passes the Critical Design Review

News Report

As reported on NC3A Newsroom, the NATO Air Command and Control Information Services project (AirC2IS) has successfully passed the Critical Design Review milestone and produced a solid design for the first of three AirC2IS implementation increments. This blue sky system implementation is  unique for NATO: designed according to the NATO Network Enabled Capability (NNEC) tenets, it will operate, in the ever changing coalition environment, as the air functional service of the Bi-Strategic Command Automated Information System (Bi-SC AIS).

The System

The purpose of the AirC2IS system is to provide the NATO Air Operations Staff with an integrated, robust and flexible capability for the planning, analysis, monitoring and coordination of air operations. The AirC2IS capability will be used by Allied strategic and operational HQs established under the NATO Command Structure including: the Allied Command Operations, Joint Force Commands and Component Commands. It is also expected that the AirC2IS capability will be used by Combined Joint Task Force HQs, High Readiness Force HQs, Crises Response Operations forces, coalitions and other supporting activities, as authorised.

The system will also support distributed air planning and execution across all component commands. Allied Transformation Command (ACT) will use AirC2IS capabilities for transformation experimentation related to Air C2 and for training and exercise as well.

The AirC2IS is intended to operate as a fully integrated component of the NATO Bi-Strategic Command (Bi-SC) Automated Information System (AIS) and to serve as a baseline for future enhancement. The services provided by the AirC2IS are required to complement the Bi-SC AIS core services with an integrated and supported suite of Air C2 services, capable of supporting the work of Air staffs at all static and deployable Command Facilities of the NATO Command Structure.

AirC2IS will be NATO’s first Network Enabled Capability by design.It will be a system that is forward looking and will equip the operational users to face the changing NATO environment and security challenges. This modern implementation will set a benchmark for future NATO Bi-SC AIS Functional Services.The project will deliver a key component of the NATO active layered theatre ballistic missile defence (ALTBMD) Initial Operational Capability and provide a foundation which may be leveraged in the future for Missile Defence.

In accordance with the NATO AirC2IS Capability Package, the project is implemented based on a Spiral Development approach that will be executed in three increments to complete the AirC2IS capability. Each increment should provide an integral, usable, and operationally-fielded capability. The AirC2IS Increment 1 (AirC2IS-1) capability is also envisioned to expose those services and products needed by other Bi-SC AIS functional areas, such as the Air Operations Directive (AOD), Air Space Control Order (ACO), Recognized Air Picture, and reporting of air order of battle information.
The initial AirC2IS baseline is scheduled to be piloted at two operational sites in the fourth quarter of 2012, andd an initial operational capability, installed at all sites, is expected by second quarter 2013.

The signature ceremony for the Air C2IS contract was held on last January 2001, between NC3A and Siemens IT Solutions and Services Turkey.

Reference: NC3A (1,2)

DRS unveils its BackPack MAGIC air crew situational awareness tool

News Report

As reported in a recent press release, DRS Defense Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica's DRS Technologies, announced that its Intelligence, Communications and Avionics Solutions (ICAS) business unit has successfully tested the man-portable backpack version of its MAGIC (Mobile Mapping of Air and Ground Intelligence Collection) Enhanced Situational Awareness airborne mission networking suite.

BackPack MAGIC bridges the situational awareness gap of mounted and dismounted troops to collect and share critical voice, intelligence, and data-link information during missions such as foreign internal defense (FID), personnel recovery, search and rescue, special operations, as well as operations requiring a low profile.

The System

DRS’s Mobile Mapping of Air and Ground Intelligence Communications (MAGIC) is a modifiable avionics mission system designed for air crew situational awareness. It is a scalable, open architecture avionics mission system that provides near real-time geo-located intelligence and sensor data on a moving map display to furnish aircrews increased navigational and situational awareness. MAGIC’s open architecture is optimized for integration of virtually any desired subsystem, including:

• Intelligence Broadcast Receiver (IBR)
• Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL)
• MIDS/Link-16
• PRC-117G/F
• Full Motion Video (FMV) Links
• Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) data sets

The open architecture of MAGIC also provides connections for carry-on systems (BAO Kit, JPADS, PRC-117, Rover, etc.) to the MAGIC bus. Once connected, the remote system user (Airborne Mission Commander, Direct Support Operator, team member, etc.) has access to all of the data, either selectively or fused.

MAGIC, which is expandable, is available in ground station, vehicle and aircraft configurations.

BackPack MAGIC uses commercial handheld display devices to process and display vital situational awareness information at the user’s fingertips via a wireless link to the backpack.  By using a proprietary government software suite, it is capable of receiving and transmitting in line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight modes of operation. Capabilities include providing RF email, full motion video, IP data, voice networking and secure voice.  Packs may be networked in hard-wired or wireless configurations, allowing maximum flexibility.

Weighing in at 26 pounds and enclosed within a commercial soft-sided canvas backpack, this compact package gives the warfighter enhanced data, voice, intelligence, threat and Blue Force Tracking capability while using popular display devices.  All of the display options include night vision imaging system (NVIS) screen filters.

The pack is able to be shouldered and secured within one minute. The system can run for more than eight hours on its self-contained power source as well as draw power from other sources such as aircraft and ground vehicles.

References: DRS (1,2)

Contract Award: URS to support U.S. Marine Air Command and Control Systems

News Report

As announced in a recent press release, URS Corporation has been awarded a contract by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane, Indiana to support U.S. Marine Corps aviation Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. The contract, which has a one-year base term and a one-year option period, has a maximum value of $42.9 million over the full two years.

Under the terms of the contract, URS will provide acquisition, engineering and program management services for new systems and the sustainment of legacy systems used by the Marine Air Command and Control Systems (MACCS) community.

Examples of new acquisitions include programs such as the Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S). URS will also sustain legacy systems with technical and engineering services for such systems as the Air Defense Communications Platform (ADCP) and the Communications Data Link System (CDLS). The majority of the work will be performed at NSWC Crane and at URS' nearby facilities.

The Systems

The Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) is a major C2 systems design and development effort to modernize the C2 assets of the U.S. Marine Air Command and Control System (MACCS). CAC2S will use standardized tactical shelters and common hardware, and software toward reducing the MACCS logistical footprint and commonalizing U.S. Marine Corps equipment. It will encompass the MACCS C2 missions and functions and replace the current C2 suites with one integrated operational system.

Ultimately, CAC2S will help provide Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF) mission critical support to better integrate aviation and ground combat operations. During MAGTF joint and combined operations, voice and data interconnectivity between all friendly C2 assets is imperative.

The Air Defense Communications Platform (ADCP) is a shelterized HMMWV based air defense communications node. Its primary mission is to convey Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD) information collected by the AN/TPS-59 radar to elements of the theater integrated air defense system. The ADCP receives, processes, transmits, and forwards critical voice and target data information to required MACCS agencies and Joint users of the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) network.

The ADCP system consists of Sun UltraSparc Single-Board Computers (SBC) in a VME chassis, workstations, a TADIL-J terminal, various communication subsystems, a duplex Intra-Battery Data Link (IBDL) capability, Ground Based Data Link (GBDL) ports and the capacity to receive Tactical Ballistic Missile (TBM) targets directly from the AN/TPS-59 long range surveillance radar via Point-to-Point Data Link (PPDL).  The equipment is housed in a Shelterized-Integrated Command Post Shelter (SICPS) mounted on an M1097 High-Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). A MEP-3 mobile diesel-fueled generator powers the system.

The Communications Data Link System (CDLS) is an extremely high-speed wideband data link that transmits signal and imagery intelligence data between reconnaissance aircraft sensors and associated surface ship processing systems.

The CDLS is a "dual system" package that includes two antennas and two data link electronic for each ship, allowing naval commanders to track aircraft from any location aboard vessel. It also provides 15 different waveforms that can be transmitted at top speed to nearly all variants of military aircraft.

Comments

Commenting on the contract, Randall A. Wotring, President of Federal Services for URS, said: "We are honored by this contract award which allows us to expand our relationship with both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. We look forward to supporting the readiness of their valuable C4ISR assets."

References: URS (1), MCTSSA (2), Dote.Osd.Mil (3), GlobalSecurity.org (4), Marine Corps (5), Cubic (6)

Contract Award: US AOC Air and Space Operations Center Weapon System goes SOA

News Report

As reported by the US Department of Defense, Northrop Grumman is being awarded an $119,715,682 contract for the design, development, test, and deployment of Increment 10.2, modernization of the Air and Space Operations Center Weapon System.

Increment 10.2 is intended to bring net-centric capabilities to the Geographic Air and Space Operations Center Weapons Systems, thereby allowing data to flow seamlessly across various platforms and process workflows rather than being locked in separate information technology system “silos” to be accessed and retransmitted by humans, as is the process today.

Increment 10.2 capabilities will be fielded to the Geographic Air and Space Operations Centers; a help desk at Langley Air Force Base, Va.; and the Formal Training Unit at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

In addition, the modernization contractor will be responsible for maintaining interoperability and sustainment of the Air and Space Operations Center Weapon System baseline, to include site-specific tailoring. The primary location of performance is Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Herndon, Va.

The Context

The US Air and Space Operations Center Weapon System (AOC WS) is the US Joint Force Air Component Commander's (JFACC) primary node for commanding air and space power.

The AOC is the weapon system (personnel, capabilities and equipment) through which the JFACC exercises command and control of aerospace forces. It is the senior element of the Theater Air Control System (TACS).

The JFACC employs the AOC Weapon System (AOC WS) to maneuver and mass overwhelming air and space power through centralized control and decentralized execution to produce desired operational and strategic effects in support of the Joint Force Commander's (JFC) campaign. The AOC is the air and space operations planning, execution, and assessment system for the JFACC. The AOC develops the air and space operations strategy and planning documents to meet JFACC objectives and guidance. The AOC tasks and executes day-to-day air and space operations and provides rapid reaction, positive control, coordination, and de-confliction of weapons systems.

The AOC Weapon System program is aimed at minimizing information technology footprint and integrate more than 40 independent programs into a common computing infrastructure. The program will optimize a net-centric implementation for centralized command and control (C2) and decentralized execution.

The AOC WS Increment 10.2 is focused on implementing a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that features flexibility, interoperability, and efficiency. "We're looking to have a single computing environment for the AOC Weapon System," said Lt. Col. John Barrette, AOC WS 10.2 program manager, on last March. "Right now, there are lots of servers and workstations and not enough machine-to-machine integration. We want to implement an SOA, a services-oriented architecture, to improve the capabilities of the AOC." Integrating mission services and data into a single computing environment will improve those abilities and also bring other benefits, according to Colonel Barrette.

Today, each geographic AOC supports one theater joint forces air component commander in planning and executing the kill chain -- find, fix, track, target, engage and assess -- for the air war. Additionally,  the AOC WS is composed principally of a collection of stand-alone systems. When a new capability needs to be added, or a legacy system upgraded, it can take from 12 to 18 months to field. It also is becoming more expensive to keep legacy systems operational.

"What's in the field today has been very successful for planning and executing major theater wars," Colonel Barrette said. "From a warfighter perspective, this AOC modernization will improve the operators' ability to effectively support dynamic planning for irregular warfare or counterinsurgency operations. With this RFP, we're trying to be responsive to the evolving missions of the AOC."

"My vision is to make the AOC Weapon System work for the warfighter, not vice versa," he said.

Under the awarded contract, Northrop Grumman will become the sustainment contractor for the AOC WS 10.1 baseline. The current contract for this work expired in September. Second, Northrop Grumman will need to design and prototype the common computing environment, the SOA, and be able to demonstrate integration of capabilities into that environment for the AOC WS 10.2.

References: US DoD (1), US Air Force (2)

Contract Award: SAAB to extend Royal Thai Air Force Air Command and Control System

References: Saab (1), TheAsianDefence (2)

News Report

As disclosed in a recent press release, Saab will extend the Royal Thai Air Force ACCS (Air Command and Control System), which was delivered by Saab in 2010.

The Context

The Royal Thai Air Force has already procured an integrated air defence system consisting of the Gripen fighter, the Saab 340 Erieye airborne early warning system and a Command and Control C2 system including data link communication. In combination with bilateral Co-operation mainly focused on technology transfer, this provided Thailand with the foundation for an advanced network based defence system.

The extension contract awarded to Saab will run between 2011 and 2013.

Comments

“We are delivering an advanced air command and control system, which forms a vital part of the thai air defence system. The order is a yet another milestone in the cooperation betweenThailandand Saab, in a market that is very important for us,” says Gunilla Fransson, Head of Saab business area Security and Defence Solutions

US Marine Corps begin to deploy their newest Mobile Tactical Air Operations Command and Control System

References: Northrop Grumman (1), FAS.org (2)

News Report

As announced in a recent press release, the US Marine Corps has begun deploying the first of 10 AN/TSQ-269 Mobile Tactical Air Operations Module command and control systems (MTAOM), which feature key components made by Northrop Grumman.

The System

The MTAOM is a self-contained, expeditionary platform that allows the Tactical Air Operations Center to conduct air command and control and air-defense operations anywhere there is a need. The command and control system features highly mobile components, including Northrop Grumman's Multi-Radar Tracker processors (MRT), Tactical Data Link support units, and the compact, modular, five-ounce AYK-14 Replacement Computer circuit card (ARC) that serves as the computing center of the MTAOM.

Mounted in a standard S-788 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) shelter, the MTAOM coupled with the AN/MRQ-12 Communications Interface System includes the complete capabilities of the U.S. Marine Corps' legacy AN/TYQ-23 Tactical Air Operations Module command and control system plus the ability to incorporate and fuse Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other commercial radar inputs.

The system provides facilities for accepting input from search radar and IFF systems, as well as for receiving and processing track information, orders, command and status data received via digital data links from other command and control systems.

The Context

Tactical Air Operations Modules (TAOMs) are used by Air Control Squadrons and provide the necessary equipment to plan, direct, and control tactical air operations and to perform specified airspace management tasks. A single TAOM, contains all the air command and control equipment, including a full range of tactical digital datalinks, to perform the air defence function.

Systems are currently operational with US forces in Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea and Kuwait.

Comments

"The state-of-the-art Mobile Tactical Air Operations Module is helping to revolutionize command and control operations by offering unparalleled agility and transportability to warfighters," said Ike Song, vice president of situational awareness systems at Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division. "By integrating open, modern architecture developed by Northrop Grumman into an expeditionary platform, this system provides the command and control information needed to help keep service members safe in fast-moving, critical operations."

NATO approves Air Command and Control System Factory System Tests

References: ThalesRaytheonSystems (1), NATO (2), NACMA (3)

News Report

As appeared on a recent press release, ThalesRaytheonSystems has received approval from the NATO Air Command and Control System Management Agency (NACMA) for successfully completing the NATO Air Command and Control System (ACCS) Factory System Test.

The System

The NATO Air Command And Control System (ACCS) is intended to combine, and automate, at the tactical level the planning and tasking and execution of all air operations. When operational, the ACCS will provide a unified air command and control system, enabling NATO’s European nations (including new Alliance members) to seamlessly manage all types of air operations over their territory, and beyond.

The system will provide for the management of the functions of air traffic control, surveillance, air mission control, air space management, force management, and command and control resource management.

At the planning and tasking level the system will be fielded in Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs). At the execution level, ACCS will be fielded in control centres that will provide facilities for aircraft control and production and dissemination of the Joint Environment Picture.

The Context

The ACCS was conceived in the 1980’s to replace existing air defence systems such as NADGE and GEADGE, but it wasn’t until 1992 that the North Atlantic Council agreed to the initial implementation of ACCS to a first level of operational capability in both static and deployable configurations.
The initial NATO contract, worth at the time some US $500M, was signed in 1999 with Air Command Systems International (ACSI), a French-registered company (now based in Massy near Paris) formed by two shareholders, Raytheon of the USA and Thomson-CSF (now THALES) of France. The contract provides for the development and testing of the ACCS system core software and hardware, and initial installation will occur in validation sites in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy which have each signed separate contracts with ACSI. Following successful testing and validation, replication of the software will occur in sites throughout NATO Europe.

NATO’s contract with ACSI is managed by the NATO ACCS Management Agency (NACMA) in Brussels. NACMA is the procurement and implementing body of the NATO ACCS Management Organisation (NACMO). Within its primary function as a system acquisition agency, NACMA’s tasks include; the central planning, system engineering, implementation and configuration management for the ACCS programme, and ensuring ACCS system integrity, integration and interoperability.

ACCS was identified as one of the “top 10” NATO priorities at the Lisbon Summit in 2010. With ACCS, NATO operators will have a state-of-the-art air C2 system responsible for 8 million square kilometers of European airspace and out-of-area NATO operations. ACCS will provide opportunities for common training, standard operational procedures and centralized maintenance for all NATO nations, significantly reducing support costs and increasing manning flexibility. As NATO evolves in the future, ACCS is designed to adapt to new operational challenges whether it be for continued advancements to air C2 or the addition of Ballistic Missile Defense capabilities, ACCS provides the solid command and control foundation for the alliance.

Comments

“NATO ACCS is the largest system of its kind to be delivered across multiple nations and provides critical new capabilities including resource management, Surface-to-Air Missile planning and automated flight safety aids in support of modern NATO operations”, said Jack Harrington, CEO, ThalesRaytheonSystems. “ACCS has left the factory to complete its validation at the NATO Test and Validation Facility, and the national operational sites.”

“The Factory System Test was a comprehensive set of technical and operational tests, giving NATO the confidence to move forward to the next validation phase and for ACCS to be the foundation for Ballistic Missile Defence C2 capabilities,” said Dr van der Giet, General Manager, NACMA. “The teamwork between NACMA and Industry was excellent, in particular through the performance of the specific NATO-designed end-to-end operational scenario.”