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2014-01-01

Information Superiority for Maritime Domain Awareness: the rise of Maritime C4I Systems

With maritime exchanges dominating world trade, sea lanes have become a ballet of increasingly regulated and monitored traffic. The Gulf area, with its busy coastline of harbors, desalinating plants and oil & gas terminals, is no exception and imposes a critical infrastructure matrix of defined boundaries and approach channels. For nations in this region, navigation freedom, sea lane protection, safety and security, and the control of coastal and Exclusive Economic Zones present key strategic challenges.

The generally accepted definition for the control of this complex environment is Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). The term encompasses all aspects of maritime interests pertaining to the safety, economy, environment, and security of a nation. The goal of full MDA though is complicated by the sheer numbers of actors involved, with organization, chains of command and authority not naturally shared between the various maritime stakeholders.

This is why MDA revolves around the notion of information superiority, which should include basic exchanges of information about maritime presence, as well as tailored situational awareness earmarked for critical decision-makers. Command of the sea is now fueled by information and communications technologies which have a deep impact on sovereignty, authority and responsibility. Classical Command & Control functions exerted by naval or coastal security forces have now evolved into the broader Cooperation and Collaboration to define maritime C2.

The maritime C4I concept: networking navies and maritime actors to boost operations

Naval actors rely increasingly on the powerful integration of Computerized Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence, or C4I, as a force multiplier. Although C4I sits on platforms (deployed ships and aircraft or coastal surveillance stations), themselves fitted with sensors and/or weapon systems, it goes beyond hardware to provide a vast array of core and functional information services.

Aquilon, the Naval Communication System by Thales: fully integrated inside, fully interoperable and interconnected outside

Networked communications are a first integration step between ship subsystems. They also provide a framework for fleet-wide and ship-to-shore exchanges. Today, the growing convergence of multiple communications over IP facilitates the exchange of data, imagery and voice. The Thales Aquilon solution is one such example of the integration and deployment of multiple communications over IP.

Aquilon provides “IP at sea” capabilities to any type of ship, and offers voice and data, internal and external communications and services. This system enables platforms to participate in Network Centric Operations (NCO), taking into account all platform particularities, and embeds Naval Force Intranet capability.

Family of systems (standard or extended): Due to its generic design, Aquilon is scalable and already deployed on all types of naval platforms (from submarines to surface ships, from patrol boat to aircraft carrier) and is suitable for new build, refit and upgrade programmes.

IP open architecture software: Aquilon is based upon an open, modular, distributed and secure IP architecture using COTS and MOTS that is fully adapted to new naval operational environments.

Advanced operational security and safety: Security (access control, security filters, red/black separation, emission control…), survivability, reliability and interoperability are key features of Aquilon (EAL4 CC certified).

Life Cycle-Cost: Typically, one operator is sufficient to operate, control, and maintain Aquilon. Thanks to its civilian IP communications architecture, Aquilon enables cost effective upgrade solutions.

Centralized Management (PARTNER): PARTNER, the Centralised Communications Management System, is the core element of the Aquilon architecture. It manages all the onboard communications assets and provides high level services such as COMPLAN and SHIPPLAN through a user friendly MMI minimising manpower and operational cost.

Naval Network Enabling Capabilities: Aquilon enables platforms to participate in Network Centric Operations and embeds Naval Force Intranet capability.

Aquilon is already in service in many countries including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. This list of countries illustrates the successful integration of legacy radios in Aquilon and their management by the communication management system Partner.

Coherent naval communications architecture, with a unified information and communications system, supports maritime information superiority through core information services. New state-of-the-art C4I solutions offer centralized access and decentralized exploitation of geospatial information, merging Geography, Hydrography, Oceanography and Meteorology (GHOM). Decision makers today not only look at maps, but enjoy dedicated geospatial services that interrogate map information about boundaries, sea conditions, track management and weather impacts. For smaller ships, these services can take the form of a dedicated layer on the map received from central command. In between environmental information and core mission services lies a broad array of open information services that are increasingly useful to the maritime decision maker.

Maritime Information Services

Combat Management Systems (CMS) are a classic example of integrated information systems, as they increasingly consume non-realtime, non-combat related information. Nonetheless, a CMS, as a real-time platform-centric mission system, is not suited to command and mission preparation. Command information systems such as C4I complete the CMS on new generation command ships and frigates, enabling more efficient network-centric operations. Moreover, on lighter or auxiliary ships without CMS, on-board light C4I offers a valuable enhancement of their capabilities, enabling the sharing of local situations between ships and with shore command.

The growing use of tactical pictures to display situational information also supports the dissemination of sensor information for command purposes. Standardized tactical symbology is used as an object, with properties that point to sensor data (radar tracks, imagery or video with associated metadata), route or logistics information. Exploitation of surveillance and intelligence can thus be performed by dedicated shore teams, and shared as a tactical layer to enhance ship situational awareness.

All ships can benefit from C4I core services which bring together messaging, chat, web portals, e-document management, tactical editors and map display, and which leverage information fused and formatted elsewhere on the network. At a minimum, information is shown for maritime situational awareness purposes as tactical layers on a map. At best, it complements the maritime C4I core services, with dedicated functional services being deployed according to the ship’s mission and capabilities.

Maritime Operations Centers (MOC) ashore are the best candidate to leverage the power of integrated maritime C4I as they offer information processing and reliable storing, and dedicated cells that are available without power, bandwidth or space constraints. Such a state-of-the-art solution includes C4I box built around a private secured cloud. This virtualized environment enables both quick and efficient deployment of pre-configured systems and the integration of new functional services, for instance a legacy logistics application or an ERP.

The MOC assets can combine with on-board capabilities to form a two-way flow of mission-critical information enhancing both individual ship understanding and the “big picture” of Network Centric Operations (NCO) at sea.

Integrated Maritime C4I already in service Few countries currently enjoy this level of integrated Maritime C4I. As a pioneer in the field of C4I integration, the Thales group has delivered Comm@nder Maritime to the French Navy (the SIC21 programme which is onboard 90 ships and 30 MOC), and to the Canadian Navy and Coast Guards (the Interdepartmental Maritime Integrated C3 IMIC3 programme which is onboard 56 ships, 7 portable systems, and 7 MOC).

SIC21, an ambitious program launched by the French Ministry of Defense for the French Navy, will enable any military entity to operate within national or coalition networks, regardless of the force organization or command structure. SIC21 will provide the French Navy with a common technical platform connecting French Navy legacy and future systems. The platform will automate information exchanges, and manage networking of all operational information system applications used by the Navy, ensuring the coherence and perennial supportability of the infrastructure throughout the program.

Today, as both NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ready themselves for new generation maritime information superiority systems to boost their command & control capabilities, most components of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) are already at reach. Unified communications over IP, standardized information systems, service-oriented architectures, and dedicated functional/mission-critical services can be combined and shared between shore and ships to deliver full MDA and streamlined naval operations.

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