The Army recently established a new program of record to formalize its next step in providing Soldiers with quick plug-and-play capabilities in ground and aviation vehicles.
The new Product Manager (PdM) CMFF—which is short for C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) Mounted Form Factor—joins the Mission Command portfolio within the Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, and Network (PEO C3N).
CMFF equips Army platforms with positioning, navigation, and timing; electronic warfare protection; radio waveform; and other capabilities through CMOSS-compliant cards plugged into a common chassis. Already plumbed for power and networking, the chassis eliminates the need to install and upgrade individual communication and computing systems, ultimately reducing the size, weight, and power of its platforms and increasing survivability of Soldiers.
“This is a turning point for CMFF, and PEO C3N is leading the charge for the Army,” said Mark Kitz, program executive officer for C3N. “For years, we have been collaborating with industry, learning from our joint forces, and realizing the benefits of CMFF’s common standards.”
The Army has been laying the foundation for CMFF prototypes through the development of the CMOSS standards—leveraging input from the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) consortium of more than 140 industry partners—and science and technology projects and development.
In a July 2024 Request for White Papers, the Army garnered industry solutions for CMFF and provided selected vendors an opportunity to showcase their functional CMFF system at a technology demonstration.
As the program becomes established, the CMFF Product Manager plans to utilize a Mid-Tier Acquisition Rapid Prototype Other Transactional Authority (OTA) contract and begin prototype production in third quarter of fiscal year 2025.
“CMFF Mounted Common Infrastructure will transform how we modernize platforms going forward,” said Col. Shermoan Daiyaan, Project Manager for Mission Command at C3N. “It will foster many of the Army’s imperatives to reduce integration challenges and outpace emerging threats.”
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The U.S. Army Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, and Network (PEO C3N) develops, acquires, fields and supports the Army's Unified Network (Tactical and Enterprise) to ensure force readiness in both current missions and potential future large scale combat operations. This critical Army modernization priority delivers resilient terrestrial and satellite communications capabilities to ensure commanders and Soldiers remain connected and informed at all times, even in the most austere and hostile environments. PEO C3N is delivering an integrated Unified Network to regions around the globe, enabling high-speed, high-capacity voice, data and video communications to an Army user base that includes joint, coalition and other mission partners.
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