01 Jun 2006
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Artist's impression of networked Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs)
Picture the following: suspected guerrillas approach a village in a United Nations protected zone.
Their cars have been detected automatically by a series of sensors scattered in the vicinity that automatically alert patrolling unmanned air vehicles. The aircraft track the movements and relay the information to a United Nations Operation Centre who then task one of them to take a closer look using its on-board cameras. The images reveal a small invasion force intent upon attacking the village hall so a fully equipped Quick Reaction Force is summoned. After a short battle the guerrillas are captured and one of their vehicles destroyed. This is confirmed back in the Operations Centre when the unmanned air vehicle returns to inspect the scene for battle damage.
This imaginary but highly plausible situation was devised by the ATC with the help of experienced military advisors and was designed to test out an array of networked technologies of the sort that will define 21st century warfare. In an outdoor exercise based on this scenario, the ATC and partners Ericsson showed that by successfully combining surveillance equipment, autonomous vehicles and people into intelligent information networks, the efficiency of this type of military operation could one day be enhanced.
The trial was played out in front of a multinational audience of Ministry of Defence and industry representatives and has been acknowledged as an important step on the path towards Network Enabled Capability (NEC)*. The events were acted out as the centrepiece of the B2NCW (Building Blocks for Network Centric Warfare) demonstration held at the ATC and were intended to show how a number of diverse sensors, platforms and communications technologies could be brought together quickly and effectively in a 'field' environment. Over the course of two days a mixed UK, Danish and Swedish audience of 60 MoD and company guests saw deployment of unattended ground sensors, detection of a network intrusion, demonstrations of network robustness and the tracking of friendly and neutral vehicles before the arrival of the 'guerrillas'.
The demonstration unfolded in a field near the ATC with the unmanned air vehicles simulated by a combination of fixed vantage points and a roving, 6-wheeled autonomous vehicle fitted with a camera. The technologies demonstrated with the help of Ericsson Microwave Systems from Sweden and Ericsson Denmark - Telebit, included wirelessly linked sensors, ad-hoc networks (self-forming communications networks that rely on no fixed infrastructures), the next generation of internet protocol (called IPv6) and decentralised data fusion (in which all information present in a network is combined and any uncertainties about quality of information are managed in a distributed manner so that there is no single point of failure). The key to the success of the trial and the main achievement by the team was in the linking of diverse technology into a seamless system of sensors, machines and people using methods that can be scaled to larger, 'real' applications of NEC in the future.
"The main success has been bringing different technologies together using a common communications architecture" says Alan Cullen, who led the demonstration at the ATC. "We chose a Service Oriented Architecture (a means of ensuring easy compatibility between different items on a network) and showed it could be used successfully to link a unique mix of sensors and platforms. It was especially useful when incorporating elements such as the robot vehicle which was originally built for an entirely different purpose (exploring volcanoes!)" he says.
The interplay of technologies enacted in this outdoor drama has shown how one aspect of NEC could help future peace-keeping forces to police troubled regions. A number of the guests at the demonstration were from BAE Systems businesses including Air Systems and Insyte. Many had already been discussing the B2NCW technologies with the ATC, but seeing the integration together with an application has helped identify several quick wins. Further work is now underway at the ATC to meet the needs for high intensity warfare where, for example, the unattended ground sensors could be prone to capture.
*Network Enabled Capability (NEC) is about the coherent integration of sensors, decision makers and weapon systems along with support capabilities - Defence Industrial Strategy White Paper 2005.
B2NCW was a collaborative programme funded under the Western European Union 'EuroFinder' programme with partners BAE Systems and Ericsson (Sweden and Denmark).
