ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Nov. 4, 2020) – Army Futures Command (AFC) and the U.K. Ministry of Defence are partnering to develop capabilities that will enable information sharing for improved allied aircraft survivability during joint operations.
The Integrated Defensive Aid Systems (IDAS) effort focuses on developing an architecture to enable the fusion of sensor information within, and between, manned and unmanned platforms.
“We tend to take architecture for granted, not realizing the complexity involved in sharing information. However, many systems integration problems and operational challenges can be attributed to the fact that you can’t communicate the right information at the right time,” said Shantel Samuel, an engineer from the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center – a component of AFC’s Combat Capabilities Development Command.
“If we’re going to execute Multi Domain Operations as intended, we must be able to coordinate across assets to have a greater effect against the threat. IDAS is helping to enable that capability for electronic warfare within the air domain.”
IDAS provides a framework that would not only allow for the collection and organization of information, but would also support the application of decision-aiding algorithms to recommend courses of action to pilots operating in complex battlespaces.
“A pilot needs to know all possible threats – whether it is a radar alert or a surface-to-air missile alert – to apply the appropriate countermeasures. IDAS enables us to leverage information from disparate systems across the battlespace and share it across multiple platforms for a more optimal response to the threat,” said Samuel.
The work falls under a 2017 research and development project arrangement between the two nations to develop capabilities that will improve the performance, suitability, situational awareness and survivability of U.S. Department of Defense and U.K. Ministry of Defense air platforms. The IDAS effort will help to address commonality, standardization, and interoperability.
“IDAS is a critical science and technology challenge in this campaign of learning to re-establish overmatch on the future battlefield. This U.S.-U.K. cooperation is an acknowledgement that we won’t fight alone, so we have to work interoperability as an upfront requirement – not a back end add-on,” said C5ISR Center Associate Director for Science, Technology and Engineering William Hoppe.
The joint team is scheduled to complete a digital model of the IDAS architecture in early 2021, which will provide the framework for a common messaging interface across each nation’s respective electronic warfare survivability suite. A demonstration is slated for 2022.
The lessons learned will be applied to the development of future technologies in support of aircraft missions, including science and technology initiatives that require sharing information across distributed assets.
“This partnership will allow us the opportunity to understand each other’s challenges and to share expertise, thus increasing the scientific strength and technical knowledge of both countries as we work together to establish common solutions,” said Samuel.
For more information, contact the C5ISR Center Public Affairs Office: usarmy.apg.ccdc-c5isr.mbx.pao@mail.mil.
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The C5ISR Center is the Army’s applied research and advanced technology development center for C5ISR capabilities. As the Army’s primary integrator of C5ISR technologies and systems, the center develops and matures capabilities that support all six Army modernization priorities, enabling information dominance and tactical overmatch for the joint warfighter.
The C5ISR Center is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.
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