Contract Award: AgustaWestland to provide its Mission Planning & Analysis System to Italian Navy's helicopters

News Report

As reported in a recent press release, AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, announced that the Italian Navy will receive a Mission Planning & Analysis System (MPAS) for its fleet of NH90 NFH medium twin naval helicopters. The MPAS contract, signed between AgustaWestland and NAHEMA (NATO Helicopter Management Agency), fulfills the requirement for a multi-mission and multi-platform mission planning system that will be available in time for the early operations of the first batch of Italian Navy NH90 helicopters. The MPAS will also be compatible with similar planning systems in use by other European Armed Forces and capable of being expanded to support additional helicopter platforms and provide a secure interface.

The NH90 MPAS will support the Italian Navy in conducting mission tasks with the NH90 NFH and it will also include the capability to support multi-platform missions, therefore interfacing with the service’s AW101 helicopters. Moreover, it will provide the growth capability for supporting the future MTTH variant (Maritime Tactical Transport Helicopter) of the NH90 helicopter. The system will support the Italian Navy’s operations as well as training activities by providing the users with enhanced situational awareness, flight and mission planning functionality and a complete aircraft data upload/download capability. The system will achieve full operational readiness by the end of 2013 and it will be deployed across the main Italian Navy operating bases and vessels. AgustaWestland will assist the Italian Navy to deploy the system as part of a three year Initial In Service Support package that will guarantee the maximum availability of the MPAS stations during operations.

The Technology

The MPAS is based on the state of the art AgustaWestland-designed Planning System Skyflight, a multi-helicopter flight and mission planning solution that all AgustaWestland mission planning stations currently utilise.

AgustaWestland’s Skyflight mission planning system is designed to help helicopter crews and Operations Officers plan, execute and analyse their operational missions. Operators can acquire, manage, process and analyze the data needed to conduct a mission in a range of operational scenarios. Skyflight uses a comprehensive operational database to provide advanced situational awareness. This helps users identify mission tasks and objectives and evaluate mission risks and to develop action plans.

The Context

Skyflight is currently operated by the Royal Netherlands Navy for the mission planning of their NH90 NFH fleet and Skyflight technology is in use for the development of the UK Ministry of Defence’s AW159 Lynx Wildcat and Apache AH Mk1 Mission Planning Systems. It is also a core element in the Flight Planning System for AW101 VVIP helicopters. Skyflight has also been delivered to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, supporting the mission planning of their AW109 LUH helicopters.

The Italian Navy’s NH90s will replace previous generation helicopters for a variety of roles including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and utility. The NH90 will give the Italian services a major increase in operational capability and mission effectiveness due to its outstanding technology and performance.

References: AgustaWestland (1,2)

Contract Award: SELEX Sistemi Integrati to support Italian Army's Out of Area Operations

News Report

As announced in a recent press release, Finmeccanica's SELEX Sistemi Integrati has been awarded new contracts worth a total of EUR 120 million.

The first contract, signed with the Italian Ministry of Defence, concerns the protection system upgrade for Italian Forward Operating Bases (FOB) and Fire Support Bases (FSB) operating in Afghanistan. SELEX Sistemi Integrati, as head of a temporary grouping of enterprises with two other Finmeccanica companies, SELEX Galileo and OTO Melara, will be responsible for the construction, installation and integration of the entire system.

The second contract, also signed with the Italian Ministry of Defence, relates to the upgrading of
various operational functions of the command and control system (SIACCON2) developed by SELEX Sistemi Integrati for the Italian Army and the connective infrastructure currently used by Italy’s Armed Forces in Afghanistan. This contract was also awarded to SELEX Sistemi Integrati as prime contractor of a temporary grouping of enterprises with other Finmeccanica companies, including SELEX Elsag and Telespazio.

SELEX Sistemi Integrati has signed further contracts with the Italian Ministry of Defence to maintain the Italian Army Information Management System (SIGE) and to develop new system services and functions for all of Italy’s Armed Forces.

Finally, the company has signed a contract with NATO agency NAHEMA both to develop the new mission planning system for the A129 combat helicopter, and to update the technology used in the mission planning system of the NH90 tactical transport helicopter. Both aircraft are used by the Italian Army.

The Technology

SELEX Sistemi Integrati has developed in the recent years a family of products and solutions for providing surveillance and protection of critical sites, including military bases, vital national infrastructures, power plants and industrial sites. These solutions exploit state-of-the-art middleware technologies, such as the Data Distrubution Service, for supporting systems integration, network-centric interoperability, plug-and-play system configuration, and operational flexibility. Under the terms of the contract, the surveillance integrated systems that will be provided to Italian Army include the man-portable LYRA10 radar, designed and manufactured by the same company, and several electro-optical sensors by SELEX Galileo. The supply also includes the creation of command and surveillance posts for the systems management, surveillance systems for airport areas, camera integrated systems for the internal surveillance of entrances, robotic systems in “combat” version manufactured by OTO Melara for the protection of the bases, acoustic systems by SELEX Galileo able to locate the fire sources. SELEX Sistemi Integrati will also be responsible for the transport, installation in site and the integration and management of all the systems installed.

SELEX Sistemi Integrati is also Prime Contractor and Design Authority for the Italian Army's Automated Command and Control System, named SIACCON (Sistema Automatizzato di Commando e Controllo). The systems was introduced into the Italian Army in 2000 for supporting Division and Brigade level Command and Control operations, and was then upgraded by introduction of advanced interoperability mechanisms, additional Functional Areas, and for extending its functionalities at the lower echelons.

The system is now scalable both in hardware and software terms, enabling its use at all levels from Division to Platoon and squad level. The core system remains the same at all levels, but higher headquarters have a more comprehensive range of operational functions. A typical Command Post (CP) configuration consists of a fusion centre and one or more CP cells. The fusion centre contains database servers to store all the operational data, a family of servers to provide generic services such as Mail, Web, DHCP and DNS services, and telecommunication and encryption devices. The system uses standard common data models for database replication, enabling interoperability with other systems. SIACCON provides a common operational picture to all users, with live locational information provided via GPS. The system provides functional support across the full range of staff branches and also includes specific functionality to support Operations Other Than War (OOTW). General purpose capabilities include: digital mapping, vector and raster mapping, navigational functions, terrain analysis, and 3-D viewformal message.

The SIACCON system constitutes the Command and Control backbone of the Italian Army's Forza NEC network-enabled architecture for digitized units. SELEX Sistemi Integrati is the main supplier and system integrator, with other Finmeccanica companies and other indepentent firms providing specialized equipments and sub-systems.

Reference: Finmeccanica (1), SELEX Sistemi Integrati (2), Jane's (3)

Forza NEC moves on

News Report

As reported on the Italian Army's website, Italian Land Forces have recently completed a set of trials and exercitations aimed at evaluating the achieved level of interoperability among the newly developed units of the Forza NEC digitalized Brigade.

The first part of these tests occurred between October 3rd and 7th during the "Joint Trials 2011" that took place in Brindisi and Lecce. SELEX Sistemi Integrati, the Finmeccanica Company acting as Prime Contractor and Lead System Integrator for the program, has supported the Italian Army's Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo" in conducting a Command Post Exercise (CPT) that required network-enabled integration with Regimental Infantry Units and Joint Fire Support Teams.

During the exercise, all the key C4I components of the Forza NEC architecture were interconnected at both the operational and tactical level and allowed the creation of a Joint Common Situation Awareness to be exploited by ground, naval and air forces.

The second part of the tests was performed on October 7th during the 31st anniversary of the Italian Army's CEPOLISPE (polyfunctional centre for the experimentation), and was focused on the demonstration of the soldier-vehicle interoperability.

The System

Forza NEC (Network Enabled Capability) is a Large System for military operations that provides the wide range of capabilities that is required by a modern land brigade operating in joint or multinational coalitions, including: Command and Control, Maneuver / Close Combat, ISTAR, Land Fire Support (Artillery), Air Defence, Force Protection (including CBRN), Mobility and Counter-mobility, Logistic Support, Helicopter Support, Joint and Coalition Interoperability, and Civil-Military-Cooperation (CIMIC).

Forza NEC units and related operational, logistic components are designed and structured in complete
compliance with a network-enabled architecture. Architectural design plays thus a key role for the development of such a system, since it ensures that the technical requirements of the individual components achieve an Integrated Force, in compliance with the operational requirements related to the specific efficiency level.

FORZA NEC system architecture is based on the following main components:

• C4I modules, covering all the hierarchy levels spanning from Brigade commanders to single soldiers, and all the functional areas associated with requested operational capabilities.
• Communication equipments for data and voice transmission (HF/VHF/UHF wireless radios, mobile satellite communications, advanced networking devices)
• HW stations and infrastructures (shelters) for deployable command posts.
• C4I stations (BMS, Battlefield Management Systems) for mobile command posts (to be mounted on a wide family of vehicles)
• C4I components for dismounted soldiers, fully integrated with the global architecture.
• Tactical gateways and Service Oriented Architectures for achieving interoperability among network-enabled units, legacy equipments, and external C4I systems.
• Certified components for allowing secure and protected data transfer between different security levels
• Unmanned Systems (maneuver range UAVs, UGVs)
• Helicopters (combat and cactical)
• Sensors (surveillance radars, EO/IR devices, acoustic sensors)
• Battlefield Target Identification Devices
• Electronic Warfare devices
• Force protection devices (including CBRN defence assets) 

Most of the above components are integrated within mobile combat and tactical vehicles, including Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV), Armoured Infantry Figthing Vehicles (AIFV), Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV), Light Multirole Vehicles (LMV), Medium Multirole Vehicles (MMV).

Currently, the reference platforms considered within Forza NEC are the IVECO 8x8 IFV "Freccia" and the IVECO Ligth Multirole Tactical Vehicle "Lince".

The Context

Finmeccanica subsidiary SELEX Sistemi Integrati announced on June 2010 that was awared a 238 M€ contract from the Italian Ministry of Defence’s Land Armaments General Directorate, for implementing the Forza NEC digitized system.

SELEX Sistemi Integrati is the main supplier and system integrator, but they will work with a very broad alliance of Italian firms. Other Finmeccanica companies such as SELEX Elsag, SELEX Galileo, Oto Melara, AgustaWestland, and MBDA are included. So are independent firms like Elettronica, Iveco, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, the Iveco-Oto Melara consortium, and the Soldato Futuro consortium.

Italy’s system is hardly unusual, joining recent efforts in Australia (LAND 75/ 125), Canada (LCSS), Germany (FuInfoSys Heer), and Israel (Tsayad). America has its Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade and Below system, which is being expanded and improved.

References: Italian Army (1,2), SELEX Sistemi Integrati (3), Defense Industry Daily (4)