Volume 5 Number 2 March/April 2013 Calling forward Militaries increase frontline SATCOM coverage DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE BORDERLINE CAPABILITIES IS POWER SUCCESS Emerging C4I requirements Transmission security Securing national boundaries www.digital-battlespace.com DB_MarApr13_OFC.indd 1 19/03/2013 12:05:15 One Step Ahead in Land Operations For mission success, engage IAI-ELTA's tactical SIGINT and EW systems • Detect, monitor, analyze, locate and record communication and radar transmissions • Create an Electronic Order of Battle (EOB) picture • Generate jamming missions for tactical operations Tactical Mobile COMINT System See us at LAAD 2013 Israel Pavilion www.iai.co.il/elta Hall 4, Stand J-30 [email protected] DB_MarApr13_IFC.indd 2 19/03/2013 12:07:31 1 CONTENTS Editor Andrew White. 3 Comment [email protected] +44 1753 727023 Tony Skinner detects some glimmers of hope North America Editor in the long struggle for true interoperability Scott R Gourley. of communications systems across different [email protected] allied nations. Staff Reporters Beth Stevenson Jonathan Tringham 4 News Defence Analyst • Boeing nears P-8I delivery Joyce de Thouars 15 Contributors • L-3 TRL launches new jammers Claire Apthorp, Adam Baddeley, • ISAF withdrawal prompts Afghan air Angus Batey, Richard Scott, Martin Streetly, Tom Withington power changes Production Department Manager David Hurst. ISR [email protected] SPECIAL REPORT Sub-Editor 22 Degrees of improvement Adam Wakeling 6 Developing capabilities The US Army is pursuing a dual-track Head of Publishing Sales Command, control and intelligence collection modernisation of its ground-based radar Mike Wild. [email protected] capabilities are in high demand across a number capabilities, involving both new and upgraded +44 1753 727007 of emerging nations in the Latin American and systems. Scott R Gourley fills in the details. Junior Sales Executive Asia-Pacific regions. Tom Withington explores Ranjit Jeer. [email protected] some of the acquisition trends that are starting to 25 Borderline success +44 1753 727007 become apparent. Whether it is to prevent illegal immigrants Editor-in-Chief entering the country or monitor lines of conflict, Tony Skinner effective border control is vital, and suitable Managing Director Darren Lake COMMAND AND CONTROL surveillance technology must be employed, Chairman 10 Knowledge is power Beth Stevenson reports. Nick Prest Encrypting the contents of a communications Subscriptions Annual rates start at £65 transmission is easy, but hiding the fact that a 29 Sharpening the gaze Tel: +44 1858 438879 message has been sent at all presents a whole Reduced maintenance levels and the ability to Fax: +44 1858 461739 [email protected] new set of problems, finds Angus Batey. detect small, highly mobile targets are key aims of www.subscription.co.uk/shephard the USAF’s ongoing 3DELRR radar programme. Digital Battlespace is published six times per year – in January/February, March/ Tom Withington reviews progress to date. April, May/June, July/August, September/ COMMUNICATIONS October, and November/December – by The Shephard Press Ltd, 15 Calling forward 268 Bath Road, Slough SL1 4DX, UK. As militaries continue their focus on dismounted 32 Final Word Subscription records are maintained at CDS Global, Tower House, Lathkill Street, operations, frontline troops are being equipped Rafael’s legacy in providing ISR sensor pods is Sovereign Park, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9EF, UK. with greater SATCOM capabilities. Adam Baddeley leading the way towards new developments and Air Business Ltd is acting as mailing agent. explores industry’s response in light of growing opportunities, Zvi Yavin, director of airborne ISR Articles contained in this publication may data requirements. systems at the company, tells Beth Stevenson. not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. © The Shephard Press Ltd, 2013. Cover story: A US Army specialist sets up a Hawkeye III multiband VSAT terminal to provide communications for tents at Yokota air base, Japan. (Photo: US DoD) ISSN 1759-345X DTP Vivid Associates, Sutton, Surrey, UK Print Williams Press, Maidenhead, Subscriptions Berks, UK Shephard’s aerospace and defence publishing portfolio incorporates six titles: Defence Helicopter, Digital Battlespace, Land Warfare International, Military Logistics International, RotorHub and Unmanned Vehicles. Published bi-monthly, all have become respected and renowned for The Shephard Press Ltd, covering global issues within their respective industry sector. 268 Bath Road, Slough, For more information, including editorial content in the current issues, visit Berkshire, SL1 4DX shephardmedia.com/magazines. Tel: +44 1753 727001 Fax: +44 1753 727002 Subscribe today via: www.subscription.co.uk/shephard or +44 (0)1858 438879 subs_portfolio.indd 1 23/8/10 17:15:02 www.digital-battlespace.com Volume 5 Number 2 | March/April 2013 | DIGITAL BATTLESPACE DB_MarApr13_p01_Contents.indd 1 19/03/2013 12:10:27 MLI_Unmanned_DB IMDEX_273mmx205mm_FAP.pdf 1 1/24/2013 4:53:30 PM DB_MarApr13_p02.indd 2 19/03/2013 12:11:39 3 COMMENT Work in progress At the beginning of March, it emerged that date, using various standards and approaches Thales has been selected by the European that may not necessarily work on future Defence Agency (EDA) to carry out a survey deployments. of current and future communication Of course, the default routine is to rely on capabilities across the continent. the US to either provide interoperable assets The project brings with it a new acronym – and resources or take the lead in developing a FUCOM (future communications) – and will theatre-specific solution. result in a study of Europe’s main terrestrial Many within industry have long argued and SATCOM network programmes. that the adoption of standards developed for The conclusions will ostensibly help military the commercial world, the widespread planners align available communications embrace of open-architecture (OA) principles resources with the requirements of EU forces, and the work of industry bodies, such as the creating an inventory of the existing and Network Centric Operations Industry future assets of the major member states. Consortium, would lead to products being The EDA has also been working on a interoperable by default, while at the same project known as the Future Interoperability time remaining competitive from a of Camp Protection Systems (FICAPS), which procurement standpoint. aims to show how ‘multinational allies are It is clear that this has failed to materialise able to share information in real time… in and, as argued by RTI in a white paper different locations and across different provided to Digital Battlespace recently, systems supplied by different manufacturers’. ‘patience has run out’. According to software developer Real-Time ‘For over ten years, defence procurement Innovations (RTI), which provided its RTI agencies have been asking for open- Connext data distribution service for the architecture solutions from their supply project, FICAPS has successfully chains, and all they have got is a tick box demonstrated interoperable control of exercise for the adoption of open standards, effectors and sensors, including streaming open systems (modularity and video, between equipment based in France “integratability”) and COTS technologies,’ and Germany. states the white paper. Despite the snail’s pace of progress, The company argues that there has now projects such as FUCOM and FICAPS could been a radical shift in defence procurement generously be regarded as an indicator that, thinking, and the UK and US are starting to at least on a European level, some headway take ‘architectural ownership’ of the reusable towards widespread interoperability is finally system-of-systems architecture of electronic being made. and software systems they wish to procure. However, like many other touted Evidence of this shift includes the US DoD’s interoperability initiatives, they also bring the UAS Control Segment and the UK MoD’s same knee-jerk reaction – why haven’t these Generic Vehicle Architecture, which both aim things happened before now? to define a common architecture that any Creating the interoperability needed to future product must adhere to. Are we seeing cooperate on multinational operations has evidence of progress at last? RESPONSE largely been addressed on a piecemeal basis to Tony Skinner, Editor-in-Chief Digital Battlespace’s editorial team is always happy to receive comments on its articles and to hear readers’ views IN THE n Airborne ISR n Tactical comms on the issues raised in the magazine. NEXT n n Contact details can be found on p1. ISSUE Naval EW Sensing www.digital-battlespace.com Volume 5 Number 2 | March/April 2013 | DIGITAL BATTLESPACE DB_MarApr13_p03_Comment.indd 3 19/03/2013 12:12:39 4 NEWS Boeing nears P-8I delivery Wight said that the latest Poseidon flew on 1 February, following delivery of the first five aircraft to the navy in 2012, and the sixth in January, completing the first group of deliveries ordered under a January 2011 LRIP contract. Boeing has said it remains on schedule to build the 24 aircraft. The P-8I offers long-range maritime reconnaissance and ASW capabilities. (Photo Boeing) Rick Heerdt, Boeing VP and P-8 programme manager, said in a statement: ‘The P-8 team Boeing has confirmed that it is set to hand over The first spares consignment was sent to Goa continues to incorporate efficiencies into our the first three P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft during the show, and in the second quarter of production as we ramp up deliveries in 2013. to the Indian Navy this year, following the first 2013, the first aircraft will be delivered to India, We’ve reduced flow times and costs, which on-site delivery in Seattle in December. with the second in the third quarter and the ultimately benefits our USN customer.’ The long-range ISR aircraft is based on the third in the fourth quarter. The next three Poseidon aircraft are 737-800 airliner, and Boeing is on contract for ‘There are quite a few Indian systems on currently undergoing mission systems eight aircraft, with options for four more.