Multifunctional Information Distribution System

Expected Impact:The outcome should contribute to:

• Improve EU sovereignty and autonomy of EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ Armed Forces when deployed in coalitions.
• Enhance C4ISR interoperability between EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ armed forces and other partner Nations.
• Reduce dependencies on non-EU suppliers by boosting the EDTIB and promoting the development of a EU solution.
• Europe’s resilience and EU technological sovereignty.

Objective:The Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) is an indispensable C4ISR capability to facilitate international conflict prevention and crisis management in all phases of operations. EU Member States (MS) and EDF Associated Countries have already used various types of MIDS in recent operations to provide tactical Link 16 interoperability between their major platforms (e.g., fighters, frigates, etc.).

The EU commonly agreed EU defence objectives underline the need for C4ISR to enhance situational understanding, decision-making and coordination of forces and effects across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

In the coming years, MIDS capability is threatened to fall totally under the control of non-EU manufacturers with MS relying on non-EU terminals to carry out their missions. Due to the sensitive nature of military operations and the restrictions on technology transfer that prevent MS and EDF Associated Countries from adapting the MIDS terminal to EU platforms, the development of a EU MIDS is key to reduce dependency on non-EU solutions and to ensure sovereignty in this strategically relevant area.

Specific objective

The MIDS is an advanced information distribution system that provides Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI) capabilities in an integrated form for application to air, land and maritime tactical operations. These capabilities are provided in support of operational tasks through the ability of the system to:

• Distribute encrypted information at a high data rate in Electromagnetic Countermeasures (ECM) environments.
• Interconnect scattered sources of information such as surveillance, support, and intelligence on a continuing real time basis with selectable levels of connectivity among force elements such as weapon systems, weapon controllers and decision-making commanders.
• Provide mobile surface and airborne force elements with a relative navigation capability within a common position reference grid.
• Provide an identification capability through the dissemination of crypto-secure position, velocity, and identity information concerning both friendly and hostile force elements.

The specific objective of this topic is to design, develop and build a demonstrator of a radiocommunication system that provides this critical defence capability to respond to future security challenges.

This call topic contributes to the STEP objectives, as defined in STEP Regulation, in the target investment area of deep and digital technologies.

Scope:Proposals must design, develop and test a demonstrator of a European Fighter MIDS (F-EMIDS) terminal with an innovative SCA (Software Communication Architecture) to exceed or be at least comparable to the systems and capabilities available at the time of its entry into service.

Types of activities

The following types of activities are eligible for this topic:

Types of activities

(art 10(3) EDF Regulation)

Eligible?

(a)

Activities that aim to create, underpin and improve knowledge, products and technologies, including disruptive technologies, which can achieve significant effects in the area of defence (generating knowledge)

Yes

(optional)

(b)

Activities that aim to increase interoperability and resilience, including secured production and exchange of data, to master critical defence technologies, to strengthen the security of supply or to enable the effective exploitation of results for defence products and technologies (integrating knowledge)

Yes

(optional)

(c)

Studies, such as feasibility studies to explore the feasibility of new or upgraded products, technologies, processes, services and solutions

Yes

(mandatory)

(d)

Design of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology as well as the definition of the technical specifications on which such design has been developed, including partial tests for risk reduction in an industrial or representative environment

Yes

(mandatory)

(e)

System prototyping of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology

No

(f)

Testing of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology

No

(g)

Qualification of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology

No

(h)

Certification of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology

No

(i)

Development of technologies or assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products and technologies

No

Accordingly, the proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of mandatory activities:

• Studies: • Set up the configurations to be recognised in the design.
• Identify, analyse and mitigate critical technical risks especially regarding overall integration and certification considerations.
• Perform a life-cycle-cost-analysis and management.
• Contribute to the definition and analysis of the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) supported by the relevant stakeholders.

• Design: • Select applicable technologies.
• Design the needed modules.
• Cover detailed design activities after the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) until at least the Critical Design Review (CDR) of the Fighter MIDS (F-EMIDS) terminal (i.e., terminal form fit designed for fighters).
• Manufacture all functional modules and components of the demonstrator.
• Ensure manufacturing ability with efficient supply chain.
• Perform laboratory functional testing to: • Evaluate system functions and electronic warfare (EW) performance.
• Verify functions and properties against technical requirements.
• Validate preliminary requirements against operational needs and mission requirements.

Functional requirements

The proposed product and technologies should meet the following functional requirements:

• Transmit and receive Link 16 datalink following the ATDLP-1.75 which encompasses: • Waveform (WF) signal generation.
• WF reception.
• Interaction with the host system to configure the radio.
• Interaction with the host system to exchange Link16 messages.
• Interaction with the host system to exchange Voice.

• Transmit tactical data with Host platform according to ATDLP-5.16.
• Include TACAN capability to be implemented into the fighter environment. The Air/Air and Ground/Air mode are required. No transponder requirement is required (only the ping network function).
• Include future airborne stealth WF capability as growth potential in terms of: • Baseband WF signal generation and interfaces with front-end antennas.
• Baseband WF reception.
• Security function with a Secure Data Unit SDU (crypto component).
• Interaction with the host system to convoy operational messages.

• Include other capabilities in the airborne environment in term of: • Cosite environment using suppression signal (input / output).
• Built in test, monitoring, and status to report to the operator.
• Navigation information exchange.
• Message Filtering.
• Cryptographic elements management.

• Comply with Software Defined Radio SCA standards. All elements necessary for the targeted WF to be executed are required. These elements are not only in terms of hardware to support software processing and waveform processing, but also the operational environment for the SDR.
• Support the WF operational life cycle and in charge of maintaining data during standby.
• Encompass hardware constraints, such as: • Mechanical.
• Thermal.
• Interference protection requirements.
• Constraints related to security for the global F-EMIDS radio.
• Constraints related to security for the EL16 WF.
• Constraints related to security for the airborne stealth WF.
• Constraints related to security for the EMIDS-C security rules.

• Include various capabilities linked to the design to support security, safety, and airworthiness rules.
• Apply required engineering rules and regulation rules.