Issue 3 - BATTLESPACE C41Star Technologies

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Welcome to our interactive version of Battlespace C4I Star Technologies Volume 15, Issue 3 May 2012

C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES ISSN 1478-3347

Volume fifteen – Issue three May 2012

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BATTLESPACE

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What’s in this issue ■ feature articles

Future Force Depends on Future Leadership U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’ DGI 2012 – Working Together

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Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations

Important Information:

Copyright – Issued four times per year. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the Copyright owner.

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Volume 15 Issue 3 may 2012

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Battlespace Publications 8 Sinclair Gardens London W14 0AT T/F: +44 (0)207 6105520 M: +44 077689 54766 E: [email protected] W: www. battle-technology.com

VEHICLES

COMMUNICATIONS

ARMOUR

COMPUTERS

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Editor: Julian Nettlefold Industry Editor: John Reed

Whatever the mission, wherever, whenever

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In this month’s issue…

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News in Brief

India Begins Work on ICBM

By Bulbul Singh

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Capability in Unmanned Ground Sensors By Julian Nettlefold

Features Future Force Depends on Future Leadership By Julian Nettlefold U.S. Naval Special Warfare – ‘In Transition Phase’ By Scott R. Gourley DGI 2012 – Working Together By Yvonne Headington

Unity of Effort in Counter – Piracy Operations By Yvonne Headington European Communication Systems Converge By Stefan Nitschke, M.Sc., Ph.D., International Defence Analyst and Consultant

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Business Feature Aero GB Targets The ‘Special Mission’ Market By Yvonne Headington

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By David Maxwell

The BATTLESPACE Interview Aiming For Number One

BATTLESPACE meets Lennart Ljungfelt, President, Aimpoint AB, Battlespace Businessman of The Year candidate By Eric Gourley

BATTLESPACE E-NEWS FEATURE DEX 2011: BACKDROP TO AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE By John Reed EUROPEAN NEWS EUROPEN C4I UPDATE 2010 By Stefan Nitschke, International Defence Analyst and Consultant EVOLUTION OF THE GUN MOUNT By Bob Morrison EVOLVING TO MEET NEW TECHNOLOGIES By Julian Nettlefold US AND CANADIAN NEWS U.S. SECRETARY GATES REVEALS EFFICIENCIES – KILLS EFV – RESTRUCTURES F-35 EARL LEWIS CEO OF FLIR – BATTLESPACE BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR 2010 By Julian Nettlefold GLOBAL HAWK SPREADS ITS EUROPEAN WINGS By Julian Nettlefold GLOBAL MOMENTUM FOR MISSION CRITICAL MOBILE LOCATION TECHNOLOGY By Brian Varano, Director of Marketing, TruePosition REST OF THE WORLD RANGE SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR EGYPT By David Maxwell INDIAN ARMY’S WHEELED GUN TRIALS NEXT MONTH KEREMETAL STAYS IN RACE By Julian Nettlefold

Published by: Battlespace Publications 8 Sinclair Gardens London W14 0AT United Kingdom

■ feature articles

Contacts: Julian Nettlefold Tel/Fax: +44 (0)20 7610 5520 Mobile: +44 (0)77689 54766 Email: [email protected] John Reed Tel: +44 (0)1726 61225 E-mail: [email protected] All rights reserved in all countries. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Infringements of any of the above rights will be liable to prosecution under UK, European or US civil or criminal law.

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DGI 2012 – Working Together Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations European Communication Systems Converge Helicopter and UAV EO/IR Payloads


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What’s in this issue

Advertising: Battlespace Publications

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Dear Reader,

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Welcome to the third issue of BATTLESPACE for 2012. As defence budgets around the world continued to be put under pressure there is a growing trend for all countries to rely on exports to bolster their defence industries to counter in-country downturn. This issue coincides with the Eurosatory show in Paris. Development of defence technology by the EU is vital if European security without the help of the USA can be maintained. At the moment the spread of different technologies across the EU makes these difficult and expensive to maintain. At a time of austerity the normal reaction for governments is to cut back on all R&D, to do this at this crucial juncture when the USA is looking towards the Pacific as the next area of conflict and unrest caused by increased immigration, currency turmoil and job losses could cause more destabilization and unrest Europe with some, suggesting that conflict could even break out in Europe. We haven’t seen the end of the Euro crisis for many a year and the ramifications which a split Europe could bring. Many years ago a good friend of mine, Dr Sydney Meir said that he believed that the EU would implode with a split between Germany, France, the former Russian Federation states and the Scandinavian countries with the Southern countries of Spain, Italy and the Balkans becoming a separate entity. The UK would them migrate to become the 51st State of the USA.

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In the USA, this is of particular need due to the continued worries over the effects of the looming ‘sequestration’ issues. In this issue David Maxwell looks at UAV and helicopter EO/IR systems whilst Yvonne Headington covers a number of key topics including Piracy. We are delighted to welcome a new contributor, Eric Gourley, son of Scott Gourley, who wrote the feature on Lennart Ljungfelt, CEO of Aimpoint, one of our candidates for BATTLESPACE Businessman of the Year 2012. Scott covers a feature on U.S. Naval Special Warfare.

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Yours sincerely,

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Julian Nettlefold Editor, BATTLESPACE

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News in brief

India Begins Work on ICBM In April Indian scientists began work on developing another nuclear-capable missile with a range of 10,000kms. Last week, India tested the Agni-V with a range of 5000kms. The new missile will be named Agni-VI and will qualify as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). India’s DRDO has begun work on developing the 10,000kms range Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Agni-VI, confirmed sources. “While the basic technology of Agni-VI will be similar to that of the Agni-V missile, which has a range of over 5000kms, AgniVI will have guidance systems from overseas,” said sources, even as DRDO scientists claim they have the ability to develop their own guidance systems. DRDO and Rafael are already collaborating in developing a variety of guidance systems. DRDO has already developed a radio frequency-based Seeker Head. So far, only the test flight of the new Seeker Head has been carried out and development of the new frequency waveseeker head is being carried out with the help of the Israelis. Earlier, DRDO with the help of the Israelis, had developed the Seeker Head based on InfraRed technology. In February this year, DRDO announced the setting up of an advanced Navigation & Embedded Computers Complex set up at Hyderabad which will develop advanced guidance systems for a variety of missiles. Guidance systems and other navigation systems are the key to the success of the development of an ICBM.

By Bulbul Singh

“Currently India does not have the capability to develop these systems.” said a DRDO scientist. However, sources say, India is developing the advanced guidance systems which will be used by Agni-V, Agni-VI and even the Land Attack and Cruise missiles with the help of the Israelis. The Russians are involved in the joint-development of the supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, but have not offered India the advanced systems for use by Long Range Missiles, especially the Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. China has already mounted dozens of long range missiles, including ICBMs on India’s northern border in Tibet. Besides, India is also under threat of a nuclear missile from Pakistan which tested its 3000kms range Shaheen-IA, April 24 within a week of India’s testing the 5000kms range Agni-V.

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achieve in the next two decades, given the rate of growth of its economy. Indian scientists are also developing capability to mount more than six warheads, including nuclear warheads on Agni-VI. Another major difference between Agni-V and Agni-VI will be that the latter would be stationary compared to the mobile Agni-V missile, thus giving it the ability to be 'ready for operation' at all given times.


Future Force Depends on Future Leadership U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’ DGI 2012 – Working Together Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations

While India is developing its own antimissile missile defence systems, it is strengthening its ballistic missile capabilities in consonance with its demands as a regional power. India has economic and security interests in the Indian Ocean rim countries, and has recently undertaken joint exploration of oil in the South China Sea in a tie up with Vietnam. This proactive step of India has not been gone well with Beijing and the threat from its northern neighbour has increased say analysts.

European Communication Systems Converge Helicopter and UAV EO/IR Payloads

While Agni-V can cover most of China, and parts of Europe under its range, if fired from the northern tip of India, Agni-VI will impart a definitive deterrence value and also establish India’s identity as a true world power, which it aims to

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Capability in Unmanned Ground Sensors By Julian Nettlefold In April BATTLESPACE discussed the recent Scorpion Unmanned Ground System (UGS) contract award with Jack Wolford, Business development Manager Northrop Grumman ES-GES based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Northrop Grumman’s SCORPION UGS systems have been deployed worldwide. The primary function of SCORPION is to provide persistent surveillance for situational awareness, remote area monitoring and perimeter security.

The U.S. Army has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a contract to provide SCORPION and SCORPION II Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) systems to protect soldiers with a remote persistent unattended surveillance capability for improved situational awareness and actionable intelligence.

“How did Northrop Grumman get into the Unmanned Ground System business?”


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“Northrop Grumman purchased Xetron an RF radio specialist in 1972. Xetron is now a key part of the Land and Self Protection Systems Division of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.”


“How many employees do you have and what is your particular area of expertise?” “We have 300 employees with a long history of RF technology going back to our Westinghouse heritage in 1986. Xetron specializes in providing solutions that meet operational needs or fill technology gaps. These solutions range from a Quick React Capability (QRC) to full MIL Spec programs. Our proven solutions, which include both COTS and custom “components,” cover Radio Frequency (RF) Systems as well as Information Operations (IO) to include Computer Network Operations (CNO) for

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“While SCORPION remains the UGS system of choice in Iraq, Afghanistan and other deployments, SCORPION II's size, weight and wireless performance improvements significantly increase the available mission set for the warfighter. This contract both supports existing systems and enables multiple organizations to combine their requirements for new systems, saving money for the U.S. government.”

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“Can you give us an idea of the size of the contract and number of systems?”

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cyber applications. Xetron is a world leader in specialized RF Applications and Information Operations.” “Solving RF interference is one of the black arts of the defense electronics industry and not well reported, at BATTLESPACE we have written about it for many years, particularly with regard to large communications programmes such as BOWMAN in the U.K.” “You are right, there are a few Companies with our abilities and we regard ourselves as an industry leader in radio communications interference mitigation, we not only solve your cosite interference issues using sophisticated modeling tools, we also design, develop, and build the hardware solution you need. Whether it’s cancellers, multicouplers, power amps, filters, or some combination of these, we’ve done it (VHF/UHF/L-band/Multi-band).” “How did this translate into an expertise to build and develop UGS?” “Our RF expertise was recognised as the core to allow connectivity between the UGS and the operator be he on the ground or across the world. We won our first contract in 1998 and were contracted to ‘problem solve’ a contract in 1999. Early UGS systems were stovepiped and limited by line-of-sight; our job was to globalise this connectivity seamlessly across the globe.”

assurance (encryption, tamper protection, intrusion detection, and recovery after compromise) in addition to reverse engineering and computer assault. We also provide secure methods of communicating within a system. Some UGS systems can have as many as 50 different products from different manufacturers thus we have to develop the network which allows all of these to connect seamlessly without any interference with common open source software. After the collapse of FCS where Overwatch Inc. was the UGS lead, the U.S. Army came to us to develop the next range of UGS, thus with our money and DoD funding we produced the Scorpion 1 range of UGS.” “Were your systems deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan?” “Yes we were required to provide remote UGS systems in both areas to provide seamless 24/7 surveillance and intelligence gathering in dangerous and remote areas where boots on the ground could either not reach or would be put into dangerous situations. These systems can be left in situ after our troops depart to provide 24/7 intelligence reaching back to the Central Mission Centre in the USA or diverted to our allies.” “What is the difference between Scorpion I and II?”


“Under the terms of this indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract, (IDIQ), Northrop Grumman will provide in excess of 1000 SCORPION and SCORPION II wired and wireless UGS systems and support services over a five-year period.”


“SCORPION II is the next generation of persistent autonomous surveillance systems for force protection and intelligence gathering. The systems use seismic, magnetic and/or passive infrared sensors to cue long range, short range and point blank-range thermal or day cameras to detect and assess potential threats. SCORPION II combines unmatched wireless day and night imagery performance with significantly reduced size and weight, making portability and concealment faster, safer and lower in power consumption and lengthening mission life.”

DGI 2012 – Working Together Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations European Communication Systems Converge

“How much training is required for Scorpion and how many men are required to deploy it?”


“We saw a need to reduce the size and thus Scorpion II is 50% lighter than Scorpion I and uses less battery power. We solved this using our own internal IRAD. The system also has better resolution with a passive IR capability, and wireless connectivity.” “Is the system ITAR protected and can you export the system.” “Yes, but we are looking at State Department Approval to export and expect to sign up our first export customer within 24 – 36 months.”


“What other capabilities do you have to develop this technology?” “We also specialize in small size, low power consumption, battery operated solutions for collection systems, receivers/transmitters, communications systems, unattended ground sensor systems, and tagging, tracking and locating systems. Some of our very small products incorporate custom RF integrated circuits, designed here at Xetron and developed at our Advanced Technology Center. In the information operations/cyber market, our extensive experience with operating systems enables us to specialize in information

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say that it is vital to sustain the reduced number of Reservists, 205,000 and allow them to be better deployed in the main Army. To enable this transition the FY13 Budget reflects the move from current and future needs to current needs with many key Programs being slowed down. Development of the Network, GCV, Army Aviation and Soldier Systems remain the key objectives. RD must be sustained in the budget to allow new technologies to flow through.

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Future Force Depends on Future Leadership By Julian Nettlefold

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On February 24th during AUSA Winter, General Raymond T. Odierno, 38th Chief of Staff, US Army gave an impressive speech outlining the future shape and structure of the US Army following the current reorganisation. General Odierno opened his speech stating that the Army could drop from today’s 45 brigades down to 32, depending on the results of an internal Army study. When the new DoD strategic guidance was released in January, the Pentagon announced the Army would eliminate at least eight brigade combat teams and drop from 570,000 soldiers in the active duty force to 490,000. Army officials have said the number of brigade combat teams could fall even further with the conclusion of a force design/force mix study being done by Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). He said that the Army would use the power of all the relevant institutions to adjust the Future Force. By the end of FY17 there will be eight fewer Brigade Combat Teams (BCT), two of which, (the 172 will deactivate in 2014), will be taken from Europe. “The Future Force depends on the Future Leadership, thus we must encourage soldiers to develop their skills within the military education and training

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framework. The Army undertook 6500 hours of simulated operations to decide on force structures, the results of this will be reported in two months. Early feedback suggests that we should add a third Manoeuvre Battalion to each BCT and bring in more engineers. We also propose to grow our Special Ops force to 35,000 and bring in more interoperability with the Army and other forces, this will allow us to better synchronise our WMD and Counterterror activities. We have to bring in 56000 recruits a year and these men must be trained to the highest standard. We also intend using more soldiers in current civilian posts to retain this knowledge base.”

deployed to that Region. He also said that the Army Service Deployed Command will develop better and more Preposition sets overseas and create better Army representation in the CoCom HQ for the Joint Force. He went on to

General Odierno took a number of questions at the end of his speech, a key one being about the Ground Combat Vehicle Program (GCV). He said that the Army needs a new heavy vehicle capability in the Middle East and Korea after studies showed the need for heavy armour in these areas. An analysis had shown that the Bradley has a huge survivability issue and the Army has lost more of these vehicles than any other vehicle. He said that over the last seven or eight years with Bradley, first it hasn’t done very well surviving. In fact, of all of the Army’s combat platforms the Army has lost more Bradleys than any other combat platform. The Bradley has not been used in five years.

U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’ DGI 2012 – Working Together Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations European Communication Systems Converge

“I see survivability and mobility as the key to GCV and other new systems. We want to get back to the mobility we had before the wars in Iraq.”


In an earlier brief on the Armored Multipurpose Vehicle (AMPV), M113 Replacement Program it was suggested that the favourite would be the turretless Bradleys, 2000 of which, with their turrets, are


“My intent is to sustain a high-quality, All-Volunteer Army that remains the most decisive land force in the world; provides depth and versatility to the Joint Force; is agile, responsive and effective for Combatant Commanders; and ensures flexibility for national security decision-makers in defense of the Nation at home and abroad.” General Odierno emphasised the importance of the Pacific Theatre to the Army and said that more effort would be



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currently languishing in the desert, this now looks in doubt and a wheeled solution could be the answer. If there were any UK MoD people in the audience, no doubt they would be questioning the current GDUK Scout and the Lockheed Martin Warrior WCSP Upgrade Programmes? After all both vehicles have almost the same specification, protection, power and weight as the Bradley. We have been saying this for some time and agree with the General, the current fleet has reached the butt stops with regard to power-to-weigh ratios, mobility and protection and it is not, as one contractor observed last Christmas that GKN made the Warrior!

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U.S. Naval Special Warfare – ‘In Transition Phase’

Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations European Communication Systems Converge

By Scott R. Gourley

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Speaking at the recent ‘West 2012’ industry conference in San Diego, California, Rear Admiral Sean Pybus, Commander, Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Command, described U.S. naval special warfare and the broader joint special operations community as “in a transition phase.”

medical support that supply the remote SOF teams.

“Not so much a point; not an inflection; but a phase,” he explained. “Number one, our situation vis-à-vis other service forces and employment is changing. And number two, selected SOF capabilities or methods are being added, subtracted or refined to meet ‘the new normal’ of our threat environment.”

Pybus pointed to the success of similar stability operations in the Philippines over the past decade, as well as presence in East Africa and the Arabian Gulf.

A current snapshot of the NSW community reflects 1200 members deployed in 21 countries around the world.

“All of this activity for Naval Special Warfare will go forward and then we will do more things in more parts of the world – as we can generate force and capability.” he said. “What became global force management

“Most of that force is in Afghanistan, working multiple lines of operation there, from village stability operations, to counter-network efforts,” he said. Describing the joint SOF village stability strategy as “the game-changing line of effort that works long term,” Pybus stressed that future efforts will require continuation of “real and virtual lifelines” of communications and

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“If we find ourselves in hamlets or positions where we don’t think those lifelines will be effective we’re not going to go there.” he said.



in the mid-2000s, in order to resource CENTCOM active fights, we took from the Pacific; we took from Latin America; we took from Africa; we took from Europe.



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the Persian Gulf, the Horn of Africa – at war; together; joint,” he said. “And we will stay forward to assume more responsibilities from the theater commanders, generating capabilities appropriate to the threat, and to protect ourselves.”

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Expanding on the future vision in which special operations elements will constitute a higher percentage of US forces deployed forward, Pybus pointed to a resulting need “to invest further in intelligence and communications – the ability to reach back. Those small elements who are alone out there have got to be able to reach back, communicate, bring other capabilities to bear, and to move. So we are taking harder looks at how we do that for our forces, anticipating the environment that we’re moving into. Individual soldier systems apply here as well – how we’re armed and how we can defend ourselves – things and ways that will continue to give SEALs, Combatant Craft detachments, other NSW elements a winning advantage when they are more alone in contested terrain.”

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And we put those resources into the priority fights. So as we can, my intent is to reinvest in those areas that we left a number of years ago and get back up to the levels that those [regional] commanders need in order to do their business.” “We will never meet full demand,” he acknowledged. “We are a special operations force. And there is a point at which growth erodes our ability to do special operations and to think in uncon-

ventional ways. But we willimprove our investments around the globe as we can in the years to come.”

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“We will be farther from friendly support, yet expected to do everything we are doing today,” he continued. “Those real and virtual lifelines that I speak about cannot fail.”


“For 10 years we’ve been side by side with the Army, the Air Force, and the Marine Corps in Iraq, Afghanistan,


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relationship for the future.”

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“We’re also looking for service common solutions for better intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems/platforms /payloads,” he continued. “We are looking very closely in the medium range and that category of support – where Scan Eagle plays. She has got great payload capabilities and uploads. We’re looking for the next generation and hope to find some help from the Navy with regard to that – having ISR that’s compatible and can be used with the Navy for Naval Special Warfare or vice versa.”

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Future Force Depends on Future Leadership U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’ DGI 2012 – Working Together

As an example of the increasing service relationships, he pointed to the fact that, “Navy Helicopter Squadrons on both coasts – squadrons 84 and 85 – are now dedicating flight hours to SEAL training and SOF training…We’re excited about this relationship and ultimately greater capability going forward on deployments or available forward.”

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Pybus offered an NSW future vision including, “more frequently using interim or dedicated Afloat Forward Staging Bases (AFSB),” adding, “We appreciate being in the conversation about AFSBs with the Navy and the Marine Corps – about feasibility, availability, and capability.”

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Elaborating of anticipated NSW communications requirements, Pybus offered, “We need to be able to communicate in a contested environment. We absolutely have to communicate through adversary EW and in every part of the world. So we are taking a much more critical look at that now. We have relied on others to provide some of that support in years past and we have gotten great results from it. But I think the chessboard is changing.”

improve our collective relationship and capability. This includes workups in Virginia, reviewing operational plans to make sure that SOF or Naval Special Warfare contributions are maximized, exercising command and control in a joint/combined environment, and a deeper collaboration with U.S. Naval

forces on long term campaign strategies and plans.” “I know that the Navy will continue to be global,” he said. “Naval Special Warfare will begin to reconstitute its own global presence. So we want to take best advantage of this particular

“The Navy has provided a combat rotary wing capability in Iraq for six years now,” he said. “That remains in the theater and we are very appreciative of it. Those pilots, those crews, and those aircraft are magnificent and they have done a lot of great work with SOF and with Naval Special Warfare that we’re very proud of. So we want to firm that relationship up.” Turning to organic surface and sub-

“Aside from that change in circumstance we are also going through a transition in selected capabilities and relationships,” he stated. “Naval Special Warfare prides itself on anticipating or adapting to change. Most of our investments since 9/11 though have been for the War on Terror and they have been focused in the U.S. Central Command region. We will continue to fight terror there, certainly, where we find it, but to a good degree we need to ‘go back to the future’ and reinforce NSW ties to the larger Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps.”


surface mobility, Pybus offered, “We are transitioning some of our surface craft to a medium multi-mission hull. We eventually want a family of surface craft for a full range of threat and capability.”

Acknowledging that, “you need more money to make things work under the water,” he noted, “Naval Special Warfare is accepting some current risk in this area. But I’m proud of what we do today; our capabilities today; and I will always be looking for opportunities to find the resources to move our undersea and underwater programs forward – and we have a great relationship with the submarine Navy in that regard.” Summarizing, Pybus said, “Even as we transition in these ways, to new areas and missions, where we adapt or refine capabilities, we will continue to be fully employed. A top priority for me is to ‘sustain the force’ that has been in combat for 10 years now. And there’s still a lot of work to be done. So I am particularly concerned and make it a top priority that support to our force/our members our families is available – support of all kinds. So we’re investing and Admiral McRaven [Commander, USSOCOM] is investing across SOF in ways and tools to mitigate pressures and manifestations of hard work over long periods of time, so that we will have a very capable force for the future.”

Admitting that NSW has “not done all we can to prepare for a crisis in the South China Sea or the Persian Gulf or the Korean Peninsula,” he expressed his “intent to look for new opportunities to

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feeds, imagery and meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) data, can be overlaid to create a common operational picture. Esri’s ArcGIS software, an open standards-based commercial off the shelf platform, can integrate a range of data in different formats including aerial reconnaissance, signals intelligence and social network analysis.

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“Almost all data has a location and time so it can be plotted geographically. By bringing it together in a visual context, patterns and relationships can be seen, which might not be immediately apparent from analysing each intelligence source in isolation”, said Nick Rigby, Non-Executive Director, Esri UK. “It is this collaborative approach that can help joint forces focus their limited resources and counter the piracy threat far more effectively.”

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The Second of Two Features from the DGI Conference

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Sharing Data The conference also highlighted the issues of sharing and moving data since disseminating and accessing information are critical functions within the multiintelligence environment. Accessing data from different classified or sensitive networks, however, traditionally requires users to log-on to separate workstations. Raytheon Trusted Computer Solutions (RTCS) has developed the Trusted Thin

By Yvonne Headington

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Client® (TTC) product which facilitates secure simultaneous access to information on any number of different networks from a single desktop computer. Battlespace was given the opportunity to speak with Sherryl Dorch, RTCS Vice President of Marketing. Established as Trusted Computer Solutions 18 years ago, the specialist software company was acquired by Raytheon in November 2010. Sherryl Dorch described RTCS activities as unique in providing “solutions that give a user the ability to access and transfer data across multiple classified or secure domains”. She explained that, as a user, one might need access to both open sources via the internet as well as sensitive sources, perhaps at varying levels of classification. In order to maintain the security of data, information has to be retrieved from separate workstations, each physically linked by cable to a specific network. “That’s not what we’re about,” said Sherryl, “what we're about is that network separation on the back end.”

One Stop Desk Top Access TTC software is a ‘cross domain’ product that maintains secure data separation while allowing users appropriate access

to different networks. “At my desk,” said Sherryl “I can see multiple classified networks from one screen.” This one-stop desktop access not only eases the user's task, it also eliminates the need for multiple workstations, thus saving space and energy. Sherryl Dorch emphasised, however, that the system has no cut-andpaste or drag-and-drop facility, which would compromise network integrity. TTC is carried by a small box which looks a little bit like a sandwich toaster – and is considerably smaller than a stack of servers. The single device also cuts down on noise, administration and maintenance. When you have multiple terminals said Sherryl, “You’ve got software on every one of those machines.” Each workstation terminal has to be upgraded, maintained and eventually replaced, “and this becomes very burdensome.” Security is also enhanced by the fact that the TTC box carries no data, nothing is stored at the desktop or laptop.

Customer Satisfaction The TTC is currently in service with the Combined Air and Space Operations Centre (CAOC) of the US Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) which is responsible for supporting air operations in Southwest Asia. From initial

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Co-operation was one of the main themes to emerge from this year’s Defence Geospatial Intelligence (DGI) conference and exhibition, held in London from 23 to 26 January 2012. Addressing what industry can do for the military customer, speakers emphasised the need for collaboration between suppliers as well between suppliers and customers.

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Collaboration is Key

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Brigadier Jim Hockenhull, Head of Military Planning at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), said that he needed industry to “collaborate both with me and also with each other.” The Brigadier said that he wanted to move away from having to resolve compatibility issues with equipment that doesn’t work together. “I don't want the jigsaw that either I need to sort out how procedurally I’m going to make work.” said Brigadier Hockenhull, “or that I need to come back to you in order for you to help me fix the jigsaw that I’ve bought.” The Brigadier did not necessarily pin the blame on suppliers since the customer is not always able to frame a coherent requirement. “Often that’s because we don’t understand what the real opportunities are……collaboration is key but it goes in a whole range of different

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directions.” This may sound slightly alarming but it is not too difficult to appreciate how the left hand of a large and complex organisation like Defence might not necessarily know what the right hand has acquired – let alone realise the full potential of these capabilities.

Industry Working Together By way of illustrating the mix and match possibilities of products currently in the marketplace, DGI’s principal sponsor Esri hosted an anti-Piracy demonstration in collaboration with exactEarth, Exelis VIS and i2. Open-source intelligence was provided by IHS Fairplay. Esri, a British-based company established in 1989, claims to be the world’s leading supplier of commercial off-the-shelf Geospatial Information Systems (GIS). For instance, the company provides the UK MoD’s DataMan (Data Management) GIS capability, which deployed last year in Afghanistan. ExactEarth, a data services company, delivers location-based maritime vessel information. The company’s exactAIS® data has been used in anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean, helping to identify ship behavior anomalies as well as to detect vessels entering dangerous pirated areas.

The Exelis VIS contribution to the demonstration was the use of ENVI advanced image processing software, in order to identify different sizes of boat from satellite or airborne imagery (useful for both situational awareness and for locating missing boats).


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Future Force Depends on Future Leadership U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’ DGI 2012 – Working Together Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations European Communication Systems Converge Helicopter and UAV EO/IR Payloads

Wi-Systems is a modulaar range of integrated long & short range wireless solutio ons tailored to your requirem ments. Transmission of multtiple audio & video signals (un-licensed or licensed frequencies)

IHS Fairplay provided human terrain intelligence, ship movement and recognition data. The company maintains AISLive, a global Automatic Identification System (AIS) network which provides online access to real-time ship movements. The system can identify the latest position of every AIS-equipped ship within areas of shore-based coverage. As explained by Darren Scarlett, Esri’s Sector Marketing Manager (Defence, National Security and Public Safety) the demonstration displayed systems already in use by Government and Defence. “Defence and Government have got a lot of this stuff,” he said “and they are using big chunks of it.” However the systems are not being co-ordinated. The demonstration showed how data could be tasked, collected and collated, processed, exploited and disseminated between different parties to create improved situational awareness and to enhance decision-making. Data sources currently used by naval task forces, such as Automatic Identification System (AIS)

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increasing the risk of confusion. Data may also be delivered in different formats and the new architecture should assist in deconflicting products sourced from a range of sources.

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During DGI 2012 GEOCRE, an Envita-led team (which also includes Helyx SIS Ltd, the University of Nottingham, University College London and QinetiQ) announced that it been awarded a two-year £1.9m contract by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) for the Advanced Geospatial information and Intelligence Service (AGIS) research programme. The contract includes the development of science and technology, methods and techniques to underpin and improve the handling and understanding of geo-intelligence within the MoD and other Government Departments.

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Management, Distribution and Access

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demonstrations and proof of concept in 2007, the project to transfer the CAOC from a temporary facility to new accommodation took less than two years (and was achieved while the CAOC was controlling air operations for two campaigns). The biggest challenge was limited space, which meant replacing 95% of desktop computers with TTC. Since installing the TTC AFCENT's network infrastructure and overall power

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consumption has decreased by 22%. Raytheon also supplies Thales Australia with TTC, streamlining the company’s ability to access customer networks, such as: the Australian Defence Restricted Network (DRN) and Command Intelligence System Support Office Restricted (CISSO-R). On 5th January (2012) RTCS announced a partnership with Thales Australia to deliver the next

generation desktop (NGD) system to Australia's Department of Defence incorporating TTC.

Handling ‘Big Data’ The original TTC product was not developed with heavy graphic data in mind. However, “These things have come a long way.” explained Sherryl. “Now they are very powerful and highly suited to the geospatial environment.” Separately Raytheon has developed High Speed GuardTM (HSG) which has been designed for the automated transfer of large volumes of data. Providing secure and rapid transfer of data between various government agencies and military forces is vital, particularly in the context of coalition warfare. However, sensitive intelligence data often needs to be ‘sanitized’ as well as protected from cyber attack and data loss. Through the use of flexible transfer mechanisms, HSG can support a variety of data transfer requirements. These include: web services, flow real-time Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG2 and MPEG4) video, imagery metadata files, inter-system messaging and Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) data. Management of the system is eased by

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dividing administrative tasks from critical data transfer tasks on separate hardware platforms. The guard can be locked-down while administrators have access to the system for performing routine functions such as backups. While there are a number of competing guard systems in the market, the HSG is unique to RTCS. However HSG “Has a pretty substantial customer base,” said Sherryl. “It’s a very popular product.”

The DGI 2012 exhibition featured a number of products aimed at the problems of managing and accessing large volumes of data across different applications. LizardTech® Express Server® 7 product is said to be able to deliver imagery to any device over any connection. Repositories can be integrated with geographically distributed data stores while imagery distributed by Express Server® is interoperable with applications supporting open standards, web browsers and custom web applications, as well as with third-party applications such as Google Earth. LizardTech® claims that its server is, “the fastest, most stable and easiest way to distribute high-resolution raster imagery.” The company also offers the GeoExpress® image manipulation and compression software which reduces storage costs by compressing images to less than five percent of their original size. BAE Systems’ GXP Xplorer provides a

convenient solution to locating, retrieving and sharing geospatial data. By using powerful search techniques, the application scans for files within existing external data systems and shared network drives. GXP Xplorer locates files and builds an online catalogue for easy retrieval. The system can also be configured for use via a handheld device, a desktop computer or main server. Compusult offers an integrated suite of applications for geospatial exploitation, data discovery, management, dissemination, sharing and collaboration. The product, known as Web Enterprise Suite XI, is based on open standards and comprises a number of components. These include WES Sensor Management (for accessing different data sources), WES Analyst (to overlay data with other mapping data), GO Mobile (for retrieving products on mobile devices) and Portfolio Manager (a management tool for organising and tracking information, ranging from unmanned aerial vehicle data to intelligence documents).

From Strength to Strength DGI 2012, organised by World Wide Business Research (WBR), was first launched in 2003 and has now become a well-established event in the exhibition and conference calendar. Over 750 people from 45 nations attended this year’s DGI, which included some 40 exhibitors, two focus days (covering Innovation & New Technology and Information Sharing & Exploitation) as well as the two main conference days.

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Yvonne Headington is a freelance writer on Defence and Security issues and edits the weekly newsletter ‘Defence News Analysis – A View from London’ (www.dranda.btinternet.co.uk)


Timely and Accurate Information Delivering timely, accurate and consistent information is an important consideration when sourcing data from a variety of geospatial products. Envita, a privately-owned company based in West Sussex, has over 15 years’ experience of delivering geospatial solutions using COTS software. The company is currently conducting a three-year research project known as GI2RA (Geospatial Intelligence Integrated Reference Architecture) with the aim of investigating an architecture which can support the provision of unambiguous geospatial data to and from deployed forces. One of the problems facing users, for instance, is that the same map feature may be delivered many times,


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Notes: Hijack – pirates are able to take control of a vessel. Attack – pirates try to take over a ship but do not succeed. As at 15 March 2012, pirates were holding eight ships with an estimated 212 hostages.

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Unity of Effort in Counter – Piracy Operations By Yvonne Headington

While counter-piracy operations around the Horn of Africa have achieved recent successes, the threat to life and shipping remains constant. The international naval effort against piracy, which includes the EU, NATO and multinational elements, involves complex command and control arrangements as well as innovative solutions.

The Piracy Cost The piracy problem around the Horn of Africa emerged as a by-product of instability within Somalia. Opportunistic attacks, which began in the Gulf of Aden, have spread during the past three years to the Somali Basin and the north-western Indian Ocean up to the Strait of Hormuz. More recently, the buccaneers have been forced to extend operations further to the north-east Indian Ocean as international counter-piracy efforts have become increasingly successful in suppressing their activities. According to NATO figures, there were just four pirate attacks in January 2012 all of which were unsuccessful. This figure compares with 29 attacks reported for January 2011 resulting in six vessels being pirated. Despite successes, the economic cost of piracy remains stark. In February 2012,

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Oceans Beyond Piracy (part of the USbased One Earth Future Foundation) estimated that the 2011 economic burden of piracy was between $6,600m and $6,900m; some 80% of these costs being borne by the shipping industry. The overall figure includes the following:

$2,700m for fuel costs associated with increased speeds of vessels transiting high-risk areas. $1,300m for military counter-piracy operations. $1,100m for security equipment and armed guards. $635m attributed to insurance. $486m to $680m cost of re-routing vessels. $195m for increased labour costs and seafarers’ danger pay.

In October 2008, NATO established WFP escort operations under OP ALLIED PROVIDER and subsequently under OP ALLIED PROTECTOR. OP ATALANTA was launched by European Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia in December 2008 with the specific remit of protecting “vulnerable vessels” off the coast of Somalia and preventing “acts of piracy.” EU NAVFOR’s HQ is at Northwood (UK) under the command of Rear Admiral Duncan Potts RN.

Combating the Problem Naval counter-piracy efforts evolved from a French initiative in 2007 to provide escorts for vessels contracted by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver food aid to Somalia. At this time only Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150), part of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), was providing general maritime security covering an area from the Gulf of Oman to the Indian Ocean. CMF is currently commanded by Vice

Admiral Mark Fox USN who also serves as Commander US Navy Central Command and the US Navy Fifth Fleet. All three commands are co-located in Bahrain. Commodore Simon Ancona RN serves as Deputy Commander CMF as well as the UK Maritime Component Commander (UKMCC), also based in Bahrain.

Two further counter-piracy missions have also been established: CTF-151 (part of CMF) in January 2009 and NATO’s OP OCEAN SHIELD in August 2009 (commanded by the NATO Maritime Component Command, also located at Northwood).

Merlin from Luxembourg, Atlantique 2 from France and German P-3 Orion). Contributing nations include: Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Rear Admiral Dupuis of the French Navy assumed EU Force Commander, which rotates on a fourmonthly basis, on 7 April 2012 in FS MARNE. Costs of the operation are shared by EU Member States and amounted to €8.4m in 2010 and €8.05m in 2011. CTF-151 units are drawn from the 26 members of the CMF. Contributing CMF nations include 14 NATO members as well as Australia, Bahrain, Japan, Jordan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE. Rear Admiral Tanin Likitawong of the Royal Thai Navy relieved Commodore Aage Buur Jensen of the Royal Danish Navy in command on 20 March 2012. The multinational staff of CTF-151 is currently embarked on the UK auxiliary supply ship RFA Fort Victoria.

The three coalition missions co-operate closely and co-ordinate at the tactical level, with transiting independent force (mainly from China, India and Russia).

Best Practice & Private Security The adoption of Best Management Practices (BMP) and the use of Private Armed Security Teams (PAST) have contributed significantly to the recent reduction in pirate activity.

OP OCEAN SHIELD is undertaken by Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) currently under the command of Rear Admiral Sinan Tosun of the Turkish Navy embarked on TCG GIRESUN. As at March 2012, units from Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States were also contributing to the operation, supported by maritime patrol aircraft. The mission involves around 800 personnel in total.

Best Management Practice (BMP) covers advice given to merchant operators on how to establish on-board self-protection measures, such as secure ‘safe rooms’ (known as citadels). Some 70% of vessels transiting the region now take such measures that, self-evidently, involve extra expense. However, Captain Haslam warned against ‘tokenism’. “It is very easy to string a bit of barbed-wire around your ship and convince yourself that you're taking measures,” he said, “but the pirates are quick to identify those vessels that are ‘tokenistic’”.

As explained during an EU NAVFOR briefing in February 2012 there are typically some 25 ships (from all three counter-piracy missions) covering an area of 3.2 million square miles of ocean. Captain Phil Haslam RN, EU NAVFOR Chief of Staff, described the

The use of armed guards on board commercial ships is not without controversy, particularly following the shooting of two Indian fishermen, mistakenly identified as pirates by Italian Marines, in February 2012. Captain Haslam

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EU NAVFOR typically comprises four to seven surface combat vessels and two to three maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (CN-235 from Spain, Swearingen


task as, “akin to policing Europe with 25 police cars.” The Suez Canal, the Bab el Mandeb (south of the Red Sea) and the Strait of Hormuz are the main strategic choke points that provide rich pickings for pirates targeting merchant vessels. “At any given time there's three million barrels per day of oil in the region.” said Captain Haslam.

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(Source: SHAPE) maintained, however, that both BMP and PAST “are having a ‘transformative’ effect”. Until recently, military forces would typically be alerted to piracy action once the attack had been successful and the pirates were heading towards an anchorage. PAST are able to provide military units with timely warnings about incidents. “That helps the military forces to localise the pirates in this vast playing field,” said Captain Haslam, “and then we can close in and have some success”. Captain Gerry Northwood, who commanded the UK’s contribution to NATO’s OP OCEAN SHIELD from 4th October 2011 to 7th February 2012 agreed that the use of PAST has had a significant impact. Captain Northwood, who was embarked on RFA Fort Victoria as part of NATO’s Combined Task Force 508 (CTF-508), told BATTLESPACE that PAST have been the “single critical factor” in reducing incidents of piracy back down to 2007 levels. The UK has changed its policy on armed private security companies, issuing interim guidance to UK flagged shipping on the use of armed guards in December 2011. ADS, the Aerospace, Defence and Security trade association, has been appointed by the Government to develop and implement UK national standards for land and maritime based private security companies. It is anticipated that these standards will be in place by the end of 2012.

A Successful Italian Job

U.S. Naval Special Warfare –‘In Transition Phase’ DGI 2012 – Working Together Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations European Communication Systems Converge Helicopter and UAV EO/IR Payloads


Last winter’s effort against piracy around the Horn of Africa has been one of the most successful to date. One notable

Soome nations are stuckk with legacy systems … Some OTHERS SITAWARE. OT THERS HAVE HA AVVE A FUTURE FUTUR RE WITH SIT AWARE. From Fro m the frontline to headquarters. One C2 C solution. ww.systematic.com/C2future ww www.systematic.com/C2future



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solutions, bringing together intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets for maritime, aerial and ground missions – all linked via a networked maritime C4I capability to a centralised integrated maritime command station.

distributed via the NATO Secret Wide Area Network (NSWAN). The EU is developing a similar secure capability that has now achieved initial operating capability. The challenge in 2008, however, was to provide a robust but simple communications platform which would enable nonCMF/EU/NATO forces to respond to incidents of piracy and to deconflict unit patrols. The system needed to be secure and reliable, without being heavily dependent upon new hardware and software.

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incident involved the 56,000 tonne Italian merchantman MV Montecristo, which was located some 600 nautical miles off the Somali coast when attacked and boarded by pirates. Following an alert on 10th October 2011 the USS DE WERT, working with RFA Fort Victoria as part of CTF-508, was first on the scene to assess the situation. With a Lynx from 815 Naval Air Squadron flying overhead, RFA Fort Victoria’s Royal Marines' boarding team then approached the Montecristo aboard rigid inflatable boats and offshore raiding craft. Captain Northwood described the Montecristo's BMP as “excellent,” thus the crew had managed to retreat to the safety of the vessel’s citadel, however, there were no communications. Fortunately the crew had access to the vessel’s funnel and, from there, they were able to hang a small radio which the boarding team then retrieved. Recounting the incident in the March-April 2012 issue of the Globe and Laurel, Captain Roderic Yapp RM described how he used the radio to speak to the crew and, “reassured them that they were safe and we would come and get them once we had made sure that all the pirates had surrendered.” Captain Northwood told Battlespace that, “usually pirates fold when they see the helicopter”. On this occasion, however, the pirates were not deterred, “they only surrendered when confronted by the boarding party.” The Montecristo’s 23 crew were successfully freed and 11 pirates were captured.

C2 Complexities The vast theatre of operations, as well as the variety of actors (from merchant vessels to non-coalition ships), presents a highly challenging command and control (C2) environment. Alongside the military HQ at Northwood, and in close co-operation with industry, EU NAVFOR has established the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) to provide a 24-hour information service and data fusion centre for the global maritime community. Simon Church, the Centre’s Military Liaison Officer noted

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While EU NAVFOR could utilise the unclassified UK Fleet Exercise Web (FEXWEB), used at the time by the Royal Navy to exercise with other nations that do not have access to shared classified systems, the US relied on the classified Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange (CENTRIX). CENTRIX was being used primarily for counter-terror operations but it could not be accessed by new nations joining the counter-piracy effort.

that, from the start, it was realised that, “we needed to form a relationship with the shipping industry that was unique.” As Church explained, naval forces need to be able to communicate and interact with merchant shipping in order to fulfil their mandate (to deter and disrupt piracy). This interaction is dependent upon the ability to co-ordinate information on, where vessels are trading, what cargo they are carrying as well as levels of protection and vulnerability. An interactive website allows shipping companies and operators to register vessel movements and information, and to receive anti-piracy guidance from MSCHOA. 70-80% of vessels now register with the MSC-HOA, or around 4,000 each month. (Of these about 25% declare that they have PAST.) Church added that, “Never has there been a co-ordination with merchant shipping on this scale, in this area of the ocean, before. This is unprecedented.” While the MSC-HOA is the primary interface between the military and industry, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) based in Dubai provides a wellestablished point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region. As an organisation trusted throughout the maritime community, the UKMTO has an important role in disseminating safety information.

Mercury Rising Establishing communications between coalition and non-coalition naval forces has raised additional demands. The Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) initiative, established in 2008, provides a mechanism for co-ordinating and deconflicting activities between countries and coalitions involved in the military counter-piracy effort. Meetings, which are held regularly in Bahrain, are attended by: the military, governments, international organisations and maritime industry representatives. Within SHADE the need for an all-inclusive, real-time coordination capability was realised at an early stage. All NATO secure communications traffic is

The development of an all-inclusive system, however, encountered some political debate on which organisation should take the lead. The US considered establishing a SHADE tool (SHADE-t) while EU NAVFOR was working on a secure replacement for FEXWEB, known as Mercury. The internetbased Mercury system was developed by two serving RN Officers, Lieutenant Commander Glen Forbes and Lieutenant Ryan Wallace, working with Polymorph Ltd (a UK IT consultancy based in Cheshire). Forbes, who has now left the Royal Navy, told BATTLESPACE how the Mercury system eventually progressed. The requirement was, “to provide a more reliable and secure platform than FEXWEB to engender trust in the system being able to exchange immediate tactical data” explained Forbes. “The US scoped the creation of SHADE-t which required greater bandwidth and the provision of hardware and software to be fitted on units of those nations signing up as part of SHADE. However EU NAVFOR had gone some way to the development of a replacement for the RN FEXWEB at a fraction of the cost of SHADE-t”. Forbes and Wallace began considering a FEXWEB follow-on solution in about January 2008; by March the Mercury system was in service.

Wider Problems and Solutions The Horn of Africa is only one of a number of piracy hotspots around the world and there are now various products and solutions available to assist with situational awareness and tactical operations in the maritime security environment. Forbes has now established the OCEANUSLive.org web-based facility focusing on West Africa, South-east Asia,


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Maintaining Guard

South America as well as the Horn of Africa. OCEANUSLive.org provides a centre where the shipping community can exchange information. The site also includes interactive maps and an 'alerting' system. The service has around 1,000 users, including the transport departments of a number of countries. Although mostly used as a counter-piracy tool the system can be adapted, for instance, for emergency response or disaster relief operations. A novel illustration of how currently available products can be co-ordinated, in order to enhance situational awareness and decision-making, was provided by Esri during this year's Defence Geospatial Intelligence (DGI) exhibition held in January. The display featured Esri’s exactAIS® data product, which has been used in anti-piracy operations to assist with identifying anomalies in ship behavior. ExactEarth, a data services company, demonstrated the delivery of location-based maritime vessel information while Exelis VIS provided the ENVI advanced image processing software. Open-source intelligence was delivered by IHS Fairplay. Prior to undertaking CMF duties with CTF150 in 2008, the Royal Danish Navy realised the need to update tactical equipment available to ship boarding teams. From this requirement Systematic developed the SitaWare Maritime Boarding system. The equipment comprises a backpack laptop terminal, which supports the work of boarding teams, and provides a communications link between the boarding team and mother ship. The system, which is fully portable from one ship to another, can carry biometric data, video, secure messaging and documentation.

Cobham’s C4I Marine Interdiction Operations System (MIOS), a situational awareness and Blue Force Tracking tool, has also been developed for boarding party teams. MIOS is designed to be integrated with existing systems and uses the company’s WaveHawkTM Command Information System (CIS) software. The Boarding Party configuration comprises: a Marine Data Terminal (with a highresolution touch screen display), a User Data Terminal (which processes and displays WaveHawkTM CIS software and AIS information) and a Radio Interface Module (providing an interface with the Marine Data Terminal and other equipment, such as radios and sensors). Saab offers a low-cost, expandable and configurable system, for both fixed and mobile platforms, known as the 9LV Situational Awareness Terminal (9LV SAT). The 9LV SAT-S can be installed across all ship spaces, including the bridge, operations rooms, and EW area while the 9LV-R provides boarding parties with overthe-horizon communications from small craft. The Headquarters' tactical picture is delivered by the 9LV SAT-HQ display. The Saab system is currently in service with the Royal Australian Navy and is installed in ANZAC Class frigates and Armidale Class patrol boats. Critical maritime assets, such as oil and gas rigs, are also possible targets for pirates and terrorists. With such potential threats in mind, Elbit Systems has recently launched the Integrated Maritime Awareness Concept and Solution (IMACS) suite. The modular system accommodates customised

The good news – for the shipping industry at least – is that the global incidents of sea piracy fell during the first quarter of 2012, according to an International Maritime Bureau (IMB) report published on 23 April 2012. The reduction in activity was largely due to the fall in attacks off the Somali coast, which the IMB attributed to actions taken by navies in the region. However, the report noted an increase in attacks off West Africa and in the Indonesian archipelago. The IMB also warned that, “….it is unlikely that the threat of Somali piracy will diminish in the short to medium term unless further actions are taken.” In March 2012 both NATO and the EU agreed to continue counter-piracy operations around the Horn of Africa for a further two years. In addition the EU announced moves to support the Somali Transitional Federal Government’s efforts against piracy by extending EU NAVFOR’s “areas of operations to include Somali coastal territory as well as its territorial and internal waters.” According to the EU, the new mandate will allow for “more robust action.” In the meantime, the piracy business model remains strong. According to Oceans Beyond Piracy, average ransoms increased from approximately $4 million in 2010 to $5 million in 2011. As Captain Northwood said on his return from OP OCEAN SHIELD, “There are still people volunteering to become pirates, the income they receive from ransoms is significant….We need to maintain our watch on piracy – we cannot relax our guard.” Yvonne Headington is a freelance writer on Defence and Security issues and edits the weekly newsletter 'Defence News Analysis – A View from London’ (www.dranda.btinternet.co.uk)

Another tactical solution is provided by Terma’s C-Raid command and control system. C-Raid provides multiple units access to a common real-time tactical picture, gathering data from a variety of sources such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS, as used by merchant shipping) and from automatic radar plotting aids, as well as from full motion electro-optic and infrared sensors. The shared tactical picture assists situational awareness and enables networking between small craft, mother ships and shore-based operations centres.


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THE ULTIMATE HEAD PROTECTION

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The ultimate protection from trauma—

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By Stefan Nitschke, M.Sc., Ph.D., International Defence Analyst and Consultant

DGI 2012 – Working Together Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations Blunt force, blast and ballistic.


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Military forces throughout Europe are eager to field network-enabled technologies. In doing so, increased force digitisation means that forces will adopt flat structures, work in nets on the net, and require versatile and survivable voice and data communications systems. Those technologies will shrink the “sensor-toshooter” time cycle. This means superiority in weapons systems efficacy through the use of advanced sensors and the rapid distribution of information to each position within a theatre of operation. This will be only secured on a force-wide scale, however, whereby digitised forces will adapt the whole array of multi-tiered platforms, sensors, weapons, communications as well as specialised decision aids.

Interoperability in an Era of Net-Centricity Effective C4I capabilities become crucial for interoperability. For many years, interoperability problems within the Alliance have been largely associated with the insufficient quantity and quality of European platforms. The absence of a single integrated data network to support dissemination of information for Coalition partners and the inability to secure the exchange of digital data in real-time to

keep up with the changing situation on the battlefield have complicated military operations for years. Some of these dataexchange problems were present during Coalition warfighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the operational tempo of the British forces was constrained by the inability to access US targeting systems such as JSTARS and GLOBAL HAWK. Additionally, some European allies were still using fixed-frequency single-channel radios, which are hardly interoperable with more advanced broad-frequency band radios, such as the US SINCGARS. The “War on Terrorism”, in particular, shows that complex warfare missions builds on an enhanced ISR capability provided by manned and unmanned airborne assets. These systems bring information superiority to the forces and allow them to close the “sensor-toshooter” cycle. New systems like the UK’s SENTINEL R.1 Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) developed by Raytheon will be able to improve C4I capabilities over a larger area of engagement. The overall infrastructure comprises highly specialised sensors carried by a variety of platforms or the individual warfighter. A number of other European programmes, involving improved theatre intelligence capabilities, new excellent sensors and platforms, real-time communications links, and vehicle-carried battle


management systems (BMS), are to be conducted in the tighter defence budgets, however. Emerging Tactical and Strategic Missions Military operations as best reflected by those in Afghanistan require new Information Communications Technology (ICT)-led developments (e.g., broadband communications, satellite data transmission), excellent sensors as well as UAV/UAS and even UCAV technology. Any of these means are to also maintain operational cohesion and coherency in future multinational and Coalition-based operations. But there is also a tendency of increasingly deploying lighter and smarter weapons having GPS-type satelliteassisted navigation systems and an improved datalink capability, allowing real-time target updates and targeting from existing tactical networks across the spectrum of forces of different nationalities. In Afghanistan, some deficiencies were certainly eliminated following the recent deployment of German Army Joint Fire Support Teams (JFST) to the ISAF-lead operations that improved around-theclock target detection capabilities, enabling a 360-degree coverage of artillery and mortar weapons out to a distance of over 42 kilometres. Missions

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European Communication Systems Coverage


OF REVISION MILITARY. REVISION MILITARY B.V., WIM DUISENBERGPLANTSOEN 31, 6221 SE MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS. BATTLESPACE C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES

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Systems, GDC4S, and THALES Group. The equipment provides secure integrated voice and data services to dismounted soldiers, individual vehicles, and command HQs up to Division level. Extending the UK Army’s WARRIOR tracked IFV’s service life to at least 2034, the vehicle has been upgraded to include the BOWMAN digital communications system as well.

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As modern AFV technology goes in line with the digitisation of the battlefield and the evolution of network-centric operations, European land forces are also upgrading their fire control equipment to better cope with the complex multi-threat combat environment. The Hellenic Army successfully implemented Rheinmetall’s INIOCHOS C2 system in 170 LEOPARD 2A6HEL and 183 LEOPARD 2A4 main battle tanks. The flexible communication concept enables the direct connection of Combat Net Radios (CNR) or Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) radios, where both modi are used for separate transmission of data of high priority (for blue force tracking purposes), voice and data replication for situational awareness, and the distribution of the Common Relevant Operational Picture (CROP). Data acquisition, transmission, processing, and display have to be quick to enable the rapid assignment of onboard sensors and weapons.

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Above: Within the integrated battlefield concept, interoperability and networking are most crucial to the success of present-day combat missions, including the employment of fully autonomous weapons like the FIRE SHADOW indirect fire precision attack loitering munition. (Photo: MBDA). of this kind also strongly require specific Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) technologies, notably man-packed miniature drones, enabling a viable “sensor-to-shooter” connectivity for weapons designation. Joint C4ISTAR is therefore widely seen herein to provide the ability to mass effects without massing forces.

unmanned C4ISR has proven its operational value in Afghanistan. The two examples that are often named are the French SIDM (Système Interimaire Drone MALE) UAS and Germany’s HERON 1 MALE. The latter was acquired from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)/Malat Division based on a lease agreement.

From a European perspective, UAS, in particular, will put C4ISR into reality. The NATO’s Joint Airpower Competency Centre (JAPCC) published a UAS planning document, which is predicting an evergreater usage of all categories of UAS as a less costly alternative to manned operations. The JAPCC also sees the standardisation of critical fields, like the collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination of intelligence as one of the key challenges to adapt the many types of UAS flown by the European NATO members to the complex and very changing battlespace conditions. However, to operate UAS in the today’s and tomorrow’s joint warfighting network, it is imperative to recognise the significance of C4ISR.

The first unmanned airborne C4ISR operations conducted by the French Air Force from the Bagram Air Field in central Afghanistan were initiated in February 2010. SIDM is an autonomous system with an almost around-the-clock endurance, a range of approximately 1,000 kilometres, and a very effective sensor suite, including an synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with a ground moving target indication (GMTI) capability. Enthusiastic supporters of this MALE design would like to see it to replace specific capabilities, which have since been possessed by oth-er shorter range UAS already in-service with the French Armed Forces.

With several major UAS programmes slippering to some extent during these times of tighter budgets (e.g., the TALARION Euro-MALE project undertaken by France, German and Spain, which is likely to face collapse),

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Another key example is the UK Armed Forces’ WATCHKEEPER WK450 project. It supports UK and Coalition forces, including Special Forces, battlegroup command posts, naval forces, attack helicopters, and other combat aircraft by employing Elbit Systems’ HERMES 450 UAS. The air vehicle was built in the UK

by UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS), which was set up by Elbit Systems and THALES UK. The air vehicle carries the latter company’s I-MASTER SAR/GMTI payload. It is designed to be integrated with existing and future ISTAR capabilities, future command, and effects systems over NATO common protocols. When emphasising electronic intelligence capabilities in Europe, there is the German EuroHawk project. Gary Ervin, Corporate Vice President and President of Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Aerospace Systems said during the rollout ceremony of the first aircraft at the German Air Force’s WTD 61 test centre in Manching, Germany, on 12 October 2011, the EuroHawk system owns key significance for the German Bundeswehr’s roadmap to form a fully independent national SIGINT data gathering capability. The Integrated Signal Intelligence System (ISIS) developed by CASSIDIAN and fitted to a total of five air vehicles utilises the latest electronic intelligence technologies currently available on the market. The programme foresees the RQ4E EuroHawk air vehicles to be stationed at Recce Wing 51 (AufklG51) at Jagel Air Base in the extreme north of Germany as the Main Operating Base (MOB), from where the UAS will fulfil specific SIGINT collection tasks across the air/land/sea battlespace. Meanwhile, the ISIS mission


system is being installed at the “Kommando Strategische Aufklärung” (Strategic Reconnaissance Command) in Gelsdorf (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Nienburg (Lower Saxony).

Tailored Technologies for Battlefield Dominance Reflecting upon the lessons derived from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the British BOWMAN battlefield digitisation programme is a key European programme in the fields of C4ISR and C4ISTAR. BOWMAN provides secure voice and data communications, situational awareness, and C2 applications in support of land and amphibious operations. General Dynamics UK (GDUK) installed the system in a number of naval vessel, including all destroyers and frigates as well as the two “Albion” class landing platform docks (LPDs) and Mk 10 Landing Craft Utility (LCU). The overall system also consists of a range of HF radio, VHF radio, and UHF radio sets supplied by SELEX Communications, ITT Corporation, Harris Corporation, L-3 Communications, Blazepoint, DRS Tactical Systems, BAE

The individual warfighter is always playing a key role within this scheme. The Austrian Army’s Soldier 2015 modernisation programme calls for equipment that will provide infantry units with a real-time situational awareness picture (hostile and own units) on personal displays as well as live video from external or on-body sensors, enabling transmission of imagery and information on the own position back to command units. For this programme, Rockwell Collins offers the FireStorm joint fires targeting system. It comprises a fully integrated package of hardware including a laser rangefinder, a tactical computer, an azimuth augmentation unit, the StrikeHawk tactical video downlink receiver, ROSETTA joint fires digital targeting software, a power management system, and a tripod. The same is completely true with regard to tactical communications. In 2011, ITT Electronic Systems proposed the GNOMAD Global Network On the Move – Active Distribution satellite

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communications system for use by the German military. Offered for small units use, the manpack configuration has been presented to the German BWB procurement agency in a life demonstration in May 2011. The system is being prioritised by the German KSK Special Operations Forces, requiring a total of 35 systems, said Kenneth R. Harrison, Vice President Communications Solutions, at the DSEi in London in September 2011. Containing IP interfaces with modem and antenna controller, GNOMAD extends the SINCGARS waveform beyond line-of-sight to deliver information to the next echelon via satellite link. GNOMAD has completed testing and is fully capable of operating with on-themove capable variants of iDirect, Linkway Viasat S2, Hughes, COMTECH, and L3 modems. It can be connected to other transport systems (e.g., ITT’s High Capacity Data Radio or SpearNet Radio) to support push and pull of full-motion video as well as critical C2 applications for the dismounted soldier.

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Increasing Demand Shape Digitised Artillery Requirements Digitisation is the next stage in a process which will also see the artillery bound tighter together on an integrated battlefield than ever before by a C4I system. This is well demonstrated by the implementation of new firing computers at the battery command post, new fusion algorithms, secure data links, image-intensified direct-fire sight, selflocation capabilities utilising secure radio data links, embedded GPS receivers, and the employment of intelligent artillery projectiles capable of detecting their targets. Looking at the current architecture in German Army service, the ADLER II system, as an upgraded variant of the ADLER I system developed by ESG GmbH, has been integrated into ten shelters for the German artillery (comprising 125 PzH2000 155mm/52-cal tracked howitzers and 39 MLRS 227mm rocket launching systems). The software has been recently successfully applied during an operational evaluation of the Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities (ASCA) interoperability programme interface. As an artillery computer network being fully interoperable with the German FüInfoSys H infrastructure

Soome nations struggle with interoperability … Some OTHERS WITH OT THERS SUCCEED WIT TH SITAWARE SITTAWARE From Fro m the frontline to headquarters. One C2 C solution. ww.systematic.ccom///C2 C2 C2innterroperability opperrabilitity ty ww www.systematic.com/C2interoperability


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requested by the Armament Development Department. As a consequence, the Ministry of National Defence decided in favour of Top-I Vision’s proposal of a mini-UAS to be carried on an M1043 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMVV). Some 227 examples of this vehicle have been purchased from the US under the US Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme. The ground vehicle will be equipped with a 6m high, pneumatically operated mast, enabling it to receive real-time or near real-time data from the new mini-UAS. The vehicle’s directional antenna would be also utilised to control and seamlessly operate the air vehicle over distances of over 15km. Facilitating on a purpose-built workstation also developed by WB Electronics, with its lower display used for navigational and air data and the upper panel displaying the situational awareness picture derived from the miniUAS’ day/night or uncooled thermal camera, SOFAR data can then be processed and disseminated among artillery units (up to battalion size) for improved fire accuracy. Within this scheme, target data can be also transferred via Radmor (THALES) RRC9311 Fastnet VHF radios down to a single gun. Additionally, a Radmor RRC-9211 VHF manpack radio could be utilised if the mini-UAS launch team is positioned outside of the HMMVV.

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Achievements

By Scott R.Gourley

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The European Perspective

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Above: Within the integrated battlefield concept, interoperability and networking are most crucial to the success of present-day combat missions, including the employment of fully autonomous weapons like the FIRE SHADOW indirect fire precision attack loitering munition. (Photo: MBDA) and other BMS found in the allied (French/Italian/UK/US) net-centric ASCA system deployed for Combined/Joined Operations (CJOp), ADLER II distributes near real-time BMC4I and targeting information and video inputs from other sources such like the tri-service COBRA counter-battery radar developed by the EuroArt consortium comprising EADS Deutschland (now CASSIDIAN), THALES Air Systems, THALES UK, and Lockheed Martin Corporation. Video inputs or imagery can be additionally derived from EO/IR sensor-equipped battlefield UAS such like the KZO and MiSARequipped LUNA miniature UAS.

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Similarly, Denmark and France are also following a similar path by implementing UAS in support of their respective SIFCOM and ATLAS (“Automatisation du Tir et des Liaisons de l’Artillerie Sol-Sol”) C2 systems. The British Army has acquired EMIT Aviation’s SPARROW short-range, tactical UAS for evaluation in its Indirect Fire Precision Attack (IFPA) programme. As part of the evaluation, the UAS will be evaluated as a loitering munition capability demonstrator. The UK’s operational requirement for the demonstrator will be a system with a

range of over 150 kilometres. Ultra Electronics’ Sonar & Communications Systems branch has also teamed with Rafael, EMIT, and Raytheon to offer a modified SPARROW M UAS, dubbed BLADE (Battlefield Loitering Artillery Direct Effect), to be utilised for “searcher and killer” roles. As to this concept, the UAS’ payload could include an EO sensor which would be used to identify and classify targets and check battle damage. This UAS would be also able to actively seek and destroy high priority targets. It is assumed that the system would be able to coordinate its search patterns to take advantage of the persistence and


availability of sensors over a wide area. Meanwhile, the Polish Army is developing an own capability to improve accuracy and firepower of its artillery units. For this purpose, the Ministry of National Defence’s Armament Development Department has begun verification tests of a reconnaissance and artillery target

acquisition system based on the SOFAR mini-UAS. The latter, a customised version of Top-I Vision’s CASPER 250 system, will be integrated with WB Electronics’ ZZKO TOPAZ battalion-level artillery C2 system. The CASPER 250 miniUAS was eventually competing against Elbit Systems’ SKYLARK I system for which the company did not transfer the system’s complete documentation as

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Building European C4ISTAR capabilities is a tremendous task. It cannot be fulfilled without the concerted action of all allies. NATO efforts should be supported and strengthened to develop an overarching NEC architecture with common protocols and interfaces (with guarded gateways and dynamic firewalls), wherein all allies could “plugand-play” seamlessly and in real time. However, of all the NATO European allies, the UK has the most conceptual approach with its NEC initiative. Having achieved the initial state of interconnection, the UK expects to reach the stage of full integration by 2015 and full synchronisation by 2025. The UK is also the only European ally that has experienced participation in network centric operations.

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Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain consider network-centricity a priority in

Som Some me nations spend years yeaars developing C2 systems systtems … OTHERS SITAWARE OT HERS DEPLOY RAPIDLY RAPIDLLY WITH SIT TAWARE From the frontline to headquarters. One C2 solution. www.systematic.com/C2deployed www w.systematic.com/C2deployed w .systematic.com/C2dep oyed


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Above: The LPD-2 is fitted with the Joint Maritime Command Information System (JMCIS) suite to enable the embarked CJTF headquarters staff to command a small battalion-sized amphibious operation, including the landing craft and helicopters of several other ships. (Photo: Courtesy Royal Netherlands Navy) their military transformation efforts. Germany, for instance, is currently upgrading the electronic combat reconnaissance (ECR) variant of the TORNADO interdiction strike (IDS) aircraft, receiving the productionstandard version of the Avionics System Software Tornado Ada (ASSTA) version 3. The core of the ASSTA package will provide access to Link 16 by using a Multifunction Information Distribution System (MIDS) terminal. As manned aircraft will remain important assets for the acquisition of high-resolution battlefield photography, particularly Belgium, Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK were eager in introducing digital technologies to include new computer algorithms, higher data transfer rates, complex communications links, and EO sensors functioning either in the visible spectrum or in the IR bandwidth. Such a system is the Modular Reconnaissance Pod (MRP) from the Danish defence electronics firm Terma A/S that has been delivered to the Royal Danish Air Forces for use onboard F-16A/B combat

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aircraft. The MRP-II pod carries data link antennas in its nose and tail sections and a Recon Optical CA-270V framing camera which is carried within a 360-degree rotating section with a small IR translucent window. The Europeans’ focus is also on improved amphibious C4I systems. As found in the Royal Netherlands Navy’s “Johan de Witt” LPD 2, the ship’s C4I infrastructure consists of a Joint Operations Room (JOR) comprising 32 workstations for operations and communications officers plus 10 additional workstations for the ship’s combat information centre, supporting ship-to-objective manoeuvre, joint force fire support, Information Operations (IOs), and communications and information systems. The LPD-2’s C4I concept is based on the embarking staff bringing their own laptops. There are five local area networks of which two can be used for digital informationsharing. The vessel is also equipped with satellite communications terminals, including Super High Frequency (SHF) and Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) communications equipment.

Having a joint HQ deployed off the coast of a crisis region, it permits forces to be controlled in a focused and coordinated manner, says Capt. E. H. Veen, Commanding Officer of the LPD-2. The French Navy's three “Mistral” class BPC (Bâtiment de Projection et de Commandement) ships provide a similar C4I capability, which was successfully employed (onboard the second ship in the class, FS “Tonnerre”) during the recent Operation HARMATTAN, the French part of the Libyan campaign. The system that was extensively used is THALES SIC 21 (Système d’Information pour le Commandement 21), the French Navy’s new strategic-and operationallevel, Windows XP-based command information system.


For similar operations, the Spanish Navy utilises the SICOA (Sistema de Información y Control de Operaciones Anfíbias) amphibious operations C2 system supplied by Spain’s INDRA. The system is found on the two “Galicia” class LPDs and the new LHD “Juan Carlos I”, with the latter carrying 30 SICOA workstations.



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Unity of Effort in Counter –Piracy Operations European Communication Systems Converge

By David Maxwell

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We have described the spread of airborne electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor turrets sensors used by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in previous issues of BATTLESPACE. This feature will look at some of the latest sensor configurations and what they bring to the overall ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) user community. One of the benefits of on-going operations is that armed forces tend to realize that some equipment they have in service may not be quite as capable as they could be and, thus, either new kit is procured or existing kit is upgraded. This is usually via some form of what the UK refers to as an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR). Such procurement has become more evident in the UAV field. A year ago, in June 2011, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems revealed that it had received a contract from the US Air Force (USAF) to develop a hyperspectral detection system for UAV applications. Known as the AN/DSQ-68 Airborne Cueing and Exploitation System Hyperspectral (ACES HY), the company was producing an evaluation batch of nine units to be fitted to USAF MQ-1 Predator UAVs in an underfuselage mounting, aft of the standard AN/AAS-52 Multispectral Targeting System-A sensor turret. It is assumed that

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some of these have now been delivered, installed and have been or are still under evaluation.

greater attention to specific areas can reveal more detailed information of value, or create a better image.

Beyond the fact that it builds upon earlier work undertaken by the company for the US Environmental Protection Agency, Raytheon has revealed little of the detail involved. Hyperspectral sensors, using the different reflectivity properties in the sub-bands across the IR spectrum, already exist as space-based systems. They are used to detect different types of ‘targets’, such as the presence of chemicals or disturbed earth, based on their spectral characteristics. According to Raytheon, ACES HY is the first time that hyperspectral technology has been brought ‘closer to the ground’ in a UAV application. It is a reasonable speculation that ACES HY is being applied in the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) role.

Of particular note has been the introduction, over the recent past, of Short-Wave InfraRed (SWIR) detectors, operating in the 1.4 to 3 micron range allows the generation of images in darker conditions. Operating on a wavelength band that carries more photons at night than does the visible wavelength, SWIR detects reflected light at wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye, and that reside in wavelength bands between visible and traditional thermal ranges of Mid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR – 3 to 8 microns) and Long-Wave InfraRed (LWIR – 8 to 14 microns).

Perchance, the up-coming Eurosatory exhibition (in June) or the Farnborough air show (in July) will reveal more on this programme. However, what this does illustrate is that users are becoming more conversant with the application of the infrared spectrum and the way in which



SWIR offers the user not only the traditional ability to see at night but also in poor atmospheric conditions. Additonally, it can also see many of the battlefield lasers used for targeting, such as those used for laser range-finding or to mark targets for laser-guided munitions. Among the several companies producing SWIR cameras, Raytheon notes that its SWIR camera uses indium gallium arsenide

Above: The AN/DSQ-68 Airborne Cueing and Exploitation System Hyperspectral (ACES HY) is being evaluated on MQ-1 Predator UAVs (Raytheon).



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two underwing pods: the starboard wing pod houses a sensor turret while the port wing pod has the datalink communications and data-storage facilities. The sensor turret contains five monochrome CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) daylight cameras and four IR cameras for night imagery, plus the image processor and environmental control unit.

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The imagery from the CCD cameras can be stitched together to create a single 80 megapixel composite picture, while the IR cameras generate the equivalent of two x 32 megapixel frame video streams. The overall CCD/IR take can be formatted into 10 individual views (fed to 10 individual users via datalink) or mosaiced into an image covering some 4 km square. Early trials in late 2010 revealed some problems with the system. According to USAF sources, the tests found the chipout images were of poor quality, with up to 18-second time delay when transmitting ‘sub-view’ images, which are bigger than chip-outs and provide more context. It was also discovered that ‘Gorgon Stare’ could not operate while the Reaper’s laser was in use, since it could damage the sensor.

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However, by August 2011, these issues had been resolved and, speaking at the AUVSI conference in Washington DC that month, Randall Walden, director for USAF Information Dominance programmes, indicated that the problems “were corrected and re-tested and the system was deployed to theatre”, adding that “all the feedback we’re receiving … is very positive”.

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Above: The sensor ball of the Increment 1 fit for the ‘Gorgon Stare’ WAAS is located at the front of the starboard pod (ITT Exelis). (InGaAs) detectors, both the current ultra-low dark-current models circuits. Both FLIR Systems/Government Systems and L-3 Wescam offer SWIR cameras as part of the sensor suites for various models of their turret systems. The advantage of using another part of the spectral range is that images can be blended together to form a composite picture, showing the best elements of each in a ‘fused’ image. This subject has been dealt with on these pages before both in relation to airborne sensors and, also, to infantry night-vision goggles. Another manufacturer, Sensors Unlimited (part of the Goodrich ISR group, also used InGaAs materials and advanced circuitry allow it to run without cooling and detect between 0.9 and 1.7 microns, thus covering the Visible and Near-InfraRed (V/NIR) spectrum. This adds to the variety of spectrum bands that can be covered, as the company also manufactures a

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variety of small SWIR cameras as well. Perhaps the most interesting development in UAV sensors in the past few years has been the evolution of the Wide Area Airborne Surveillance (WAAS) system. This has become possible as the infrared cameras developed have shrunk in size, weight and power (the so-called SWAP equation) requirements. Coupled with ever-smarter software (allowing multiple images to be stitched together in a mosaic), first WAAS systems have surfaced as one solution to the need for dedicated persistent surveillance capability. Using the USAF ‘Big Safari’ acquisition process, the Sierra Nevada Corporation, with the Geospatial Systems element of what is now ITT Exelis as sensor provider/integrator, developed the ‘Gorgon Stare’ system, designed for use by the MQ-9 Reaper UAV. The Increment 1 configuration of ‘Gorgon Stare’ comprises

This outcome was hinted-at two months earlier at the Paris air show, when thethen ITT Geospatial Systems unit promoted its own WAAS. Danny Rajan, director of Geospatial Information Solutions, told the author that this WAAS used an architecture that “leverages the company's image-chain analysis and space sensors expertise”.

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Above: An A160T Hummingbird rotary-wing UAV carrying the cargo pod in which the ARGUS-IS system, Increment 2 of ‘Gorgon Stare’, will be accommodated (Boeing). smaller UAVs, such as the US Army’s Shadow. Back with ‘Gorgon Stare’, the more capable Increment 2 version uses a new type of electro-optical sensor, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory and known as Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System

(ARGUS-IS). Flight-trials of the ARGUS-IS, manufactured by BAE Systems, were conducted on board a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and concluded in October 2009. For operational use, it is housed in a pod carried as an underslung load by the A160T Hummingbird UAV. The heart of the ARGUS-IS sensor system is a six-axis gimbal containing four

Below: This chart shows the scope of the US Army's Manned-Unmanned Systems Integration Capability (MUSIC) exercise at the Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah in September 2011 (US Army).

An example and solution was instanced: to produce a wide-area view at night that covers an equivalent view by day. Using a field-steering mirror (adapted from spacebased applications) placed in front of the IR focal plane array, it is possible to take a picture, move, stop, stabilize and take another picture, nine times every halfsecond. According to Bernard Brower, an ITT image scientist, “this can turn a one mega-pixel array into a nine megapixel array”.

telescopes, each serving 92 EO Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs), each of five mega-pixels resolution, making 368 FPAs in all. These are able to create a mosaic image covering some “tens of square miles”, John Antoniades, ARGUS-IS programme director at BAE Systems. He added that the airborne processing system was able to simultaneously and continuously detect and track the presence and motion of “thousands of small