Dynamic, Real-Time Situation Picture for Mobile Operations

Atos GmbH has been selected to act as prime contractor by the Bundeswehr to conduct a study entitled “Creation of a glass battlefield to support dynamic operations,” or ErzUntGlas, in its German acronym. Atos has joined forces with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to demonstrate the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in conjunction with combat vehicles to achieve a real-time, three-dimensional, dynamic situation picture for mobile operations.

For mobile battlefield reconnaissance, the German armed forces need many UAS capable of spanning the ‘Glass Battlefield.’ A C4I network consisting of civilian and military components will be used. The study entails an annual demonstration experiment starting in 2019 through 2023, which will then be followed by project planning to 2025.

Having submitted the winning proposal, Atos as prime contractor will provide project lead and integration functions, while Rafael will provide its FIRE WEAVER (advanced 3D many-to-many sensor-to-shooter system) and BNET (patented broadband IP spectrum-sensing SDR [software-defined radio] system for both air and land platforms).

BNET is a spectrum-aware SDR – using the spectral arena of the battlefield to the fullest in a cognitive fashion, using multi-frequency channel reception (MCR), which enables it to receive and analyze information from numerous frequency channels, simultaneously, using a single RF head.

“Today’s battlefields are undergoing far-reaching changes that affect the operational needs of land, air and naval forces, with newly emerging real-time applications, such as sensor-to-effector cycle closure systems. Rising up to meet these challenges, and basing itself on decades of experience in the development of C4I solutions, Rafael has developed the BNET family enhanced with a patented technology and the FIRE WEAVER for high-precision, three-dimensional, GPS-independent common visual language system. Assimilation of these systems into the Bundeswehr will lead to a number of significant changes: it will provide a common visual language between different types of units not only from the Bundeswehr, but also from allied forces, which share the same threats and missions, connecting multiple sensors and shooters on one single ‘flat’ network,” explained Yoav Wermuth, Vice President and Head of Rafael’s C3I directorate.