The use of Open Standards Architectures in Defence RF Applications
Author: Andy Haslam, Director of Business Development, PPM Systems
Yesterday’s Challenge – Disintegrated Stove-Pipe Mission Systems
The historic approach to procuring RF mission systems for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and Electronic Warfare (EW), coupled with the fact that Western allies have been fighting a counter-insurgency for the last 20+ years, has resulted in the development of monolithic ‘stove-piped’ equipment – one box, one threat – which drives up the Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) envelope, leaving less space for personnel while making platform Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) control problematic.
These systems responded to the limited immediate RF mission needs, but without prioritising the integration between standalone systems. This has left a patchwork of hard-earned system interoperability, rather than creating a planned and optimised homogenous base to build future capabilities upon.
This approach often renders custom equipment programmes – and those bought under an urgent capability requirement – outdated upon delivery and unable to deliver their intended benefit within the CEMA landscape. Together with long procurement cycles and a limited supplier base, staying ahead of the curve becomes almost impossible.
The Benefits of Open Architectures as a Solution
Moving to an open standards based approach to RF system architectures is a non-trivial task. To effectively prescribe a suite of standards that will service such a diverse range of requirements – some of which, as yet, are not fully known – might in the first instance seem foolish. However, the history of standards development in the commercial sector shows how an iterative, symbiotic approach to developing standards can produce highly successful and sustainable systems.
Today’s Challenge – Coordinating the approach to CEMA
Current joint doctrine notes a move away from military services conducting CEMA independently, advocating for more coordinated, multi and pan-domain, joint force activities. This is considered an essential step within sovereign forces, and is also a key enabler when operating alongside a wider group of allies, many of whom are also transitioning to a holistic services footing. An enterprise approach to information management allows more portability of information between mainland and contingent theatres, and also presents opportunities for more coordinated activities across Government.
Modular Open Suite of Standards
Implementing a suite of layered standards for hardware, software and networking allows the benefits of each standard to be individually realised, whilst also combining to form a fully converged architecture:
- The hardware layer defines common form-factors for physical, electrical and environmental interfaces, ensuring new capability-specific hardware modules can be fielded with minimal disruption from platform integration activities. Open standards allow for less future hardware procurement and more agile, dynamic software delivered capability.
- The software layer builds a framework for component-based applications that target heterogeneous embedded hardware systems (GPP/FPGA/GPU). This supports the portability of electronic surveillance, defence and attack capability applications across the full fleet of future platforms – Think IOS and android devices paired with the plethora of available apps that just work
- The network layer provides a scalable interface for new intra-platform capabilities, whilst also providing an interim interface for legacy systems to access shared services. In addition to supporting fleet management and In-Service Support (ISS) activities, a networked connection between platforms and the wider enterprise can augment local system configuration with wider strategic level EW management insights.
Combining modularised radio functions such as switches, amplifiers and antennas with a system level scheduling service, allows sharing of scarce RF resources. This supports efficient use of the hardware that is often a challenge to SWaP and platform integration. A modular approach not only permits system scaling and dynamic re-configuration, it also lowers the operator’s cognitive burden through the implementation of a common and familiar Human-Machine Interface (HMI).
Open Standards is more than just a technical solution
Applying open standards to technical architectures clearly brings significant benefit to the capabilities available to commanders, but the potential of this approach is only fully realised when commercial entities (be that with industry or the Authority) internalise the possibilities into their cultures.
The most apparent benefit for the Authority is the ability to break the strangle-hold that Prime vendors have had over the deployed ‘stove-pipe’ solutions. Although it is always commercially possible to move away from original equipment suppliers, the financial penalties and technical challenges of upgrading proprietary systems limits the available options. Seeking out independent industry partners who are willing to work at refining a suite of standards and publish into a pool of open knowledge is essential to realising the vision of an evergreen future; a future that can completely re-imagine the traditional ISS model – far easier for small agile businesses to achieve than the monolithic Primes but they need to be incentivised.
However, as has been seen throughout this emerging CEMA landscape; it is not enough to merely drive the industrial base to convert to an open standards position. Many of the Authority’s previous practices will also need to be scrutinised to ensure that the most can be made of the cyclical and incremental upgrade opportunities. This will require an agile contractual approach that prioritises a rapid procurement methodology to acquiring new Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology as it becomes available. Unfortunately, it is this area that is eroding the Authority’s ability to provide a holistic war-fighting capability when their sole contractual vehicle is a Prime / sub-contract agreement. This needs to change and be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.
Open Standards as the new normal
This pivot to an entirely new way of delivering capability will take strong leadership from all stakeholder groups. The embedded change of culture at all levels of the Authority triad, from commercial, technical and users, will need to be matched by a re-structuring of the industrial base to take advantage of these new opportunities.
When future systems are built upon architectures that are underpinned by open standards, upgrades and enhancements can be smaller in scope and scale. This means they are serviceable by a wider industrial community, some of whom would otherwise have been unable to respond to larger contracts. This broader ecosystem of SME suppliers will provide more niche technology experts closer to the problem space, ultimately resulting in capabilities that can better keep pace with changes in the external technology environment.
This is happening now; the Authority are learning what it means to let these new contracts; Primes are learning what it means to be a system integrator with diverse ecosystems of conscious and unconscious suppliers (although old habits remain in some areas); and the whole domain is becoming far more collaborative….. albeit slowly!
As the situation drives the requirements, the standards drive the solutions and the solutions influence the standards; the delivery, business and technical architectures of future CEMA systems are opening, facilitating faster responses to new threats with users starting to realise the benefits.