Live, Virtual, Constructive training interoperability – Joint operations and service-specific solutions

Expected Impact:The outcome should contribute to:

• Structure and develop a European ecosystem to support simulation technology for military usages.
• Establish an EU roadmap for MDO LVC in a multi-national context.
• Identify and address specific LVC interoperability challenges and gaps in order to establish a cost-efficient LVC training capability for MDO in a multi-national context.
• Incrementally increase the interoperability of LVC training systems - current and future – to enable the EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ armed to “plug and train” efficiently.
• Improve the capabilities and effectiveness of On-Board and Ground Training systems by identifying specific LVC challenges and addressing the gaps of federated LVC solutions to promote interoperability, integration and MDO in a multi-national context.
• Integrate and develop advanced training concepts by adopting novel technologies allowing a proper coverage of emerging needs of a MDO in a multi-national context.
• Promote convergence on training standards and certifications to foster interoperability of EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries.
• Better use of resources (single and multiple domains and assets).
• Harmonise the EDTIB processes and methods for the development of LVC simulation capabilities.
• A more effective, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable Multi Domain Operations combat training and mission rehearsal.
• Increase the multinational and multi-domain training activities while at the same time improving the corresponding lessons-learned process.

Objective:Live training is paramount to conduct realistic multi-domain operations (MDO) training in a multi-national context. Creating a realistic joint training environment is however challenging due to aspects such as limitations in access to training areas, the number of available real assets and the need to protect information regarding tactics and system capabilities.

Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) technology has a clear potential to be important to perform cost-efficient Multi Domain training by alleviating some of the above limitations. An integrated blend of real platforms (Live), simulators (Virtual) and computer-generated players and targets (Constructive) is developing rapidly. Various recent technologies such as modern communication systems, security solutions and eXtended Reality (XR) also show potential for further enhancing Live as well as Virtual solutions, facilitating flexible use of LVC for training participants. Using LVC in Multi Domain Education and Training reduces operational risks and enhances decision support.

Specific objective

A major challenge is to design and evaluate LVC-training to ascertain training value to both Live and Virtual participants.

While there are many efforts in the development of LVC technology in different domains (e.g., UCATT for land, Distributed Synthetic Training (DST) and Tactical Data Links for the air domain) there is a need to address interoperability in a MDO context and the implications they pose on the current virtual and constructive simulations and the need for common services (Modelling and Simulation As A Service MSaaS). The maturity of standards varies across the different domains (i.e., land, maritime, air, cyber and space), challenges remain to achieve a mature level of interoperability of different Live, Virtual and Constructive entities across EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries and industries.

There is an urgent need to investigate how to develop a continuous, scalable and flexible learning environment that integrates LVC capabilities seamlessly for persistent training, exercises, and rehearsal in a cost-effective way. This is to be realised through:

• Development of a roadmap for an interoperable, flexible, and cost-effective Multi Domain Operations LVC training capability by exploiting current training environments and ongoing LVC activities.
• An LVC Reference Architecture, which is needed to incorporate the Virtual and Constructive simulated world into the live assets. Interoperability standards for LVC systems (e.g., communication, dissemination, service sharing, cyber security) are essential. Therefore, an Open System Architectural approach and standardisation of data exchange is needed to enable multi-domain combat simulation and provide a common entry point and common processes for proprietary systems.
• Scalable and extendable to integrate new generation assets (manned or unmanned) to implement and enhance several mission management functions. Tightly integrated operation of manned and unmanned assets or intelligent integration of heterogeneous data, improving the overall operational performance of each asset and its perception of the rapidly evolving tactical environment.
• Executing training and operating in a more distributing environment, in various more integrated tactical scenarios, including advanced cooperative crewed and un-crewed platforms operations

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 investigate solutions in the training and simulation area.

Proposals must identify current challenges in Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) Integrated LVC in a multi-national context, and more specifically identify state of the art, research gaps, needs and requirements.

Proposals must aim to further research a subset of those challenges found, for a chosen specific use case(s) by achieving an increment in the maturity of the LVC training paradigm and assessing its training value focusing on MDO in a multi-national context.

Proposals should consider concepts and manned and unmanned combat platform to be operated by the EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries, from current or emerging to next generation combat systems in Europe.

Proposals should take into account the foreseeable evolution of mission systems, aiming at standardised effector interfaces and consolidating common and harmonised processes for the operation of relevant simulation technologies at EU level.

In addition, proposals must ensure compliance with NATO standards and other possible coalition situations.

This should allow for extended interaction between a variety of collaborative assets used in different operational domains.

Finally, the proposals should demonstrate LVC growth capabilities integrating new generation assets, technological novelties like Big Data, AI and XR, cloud architecture solutions, tactical data links and LVC interoperability solutions.

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

(optional)

(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:

• Design: • Design and demonstrate technological novelties aiming at improving the training realism and efficiency.
• Design and demonstrate examples of customised solutions to enhance the current training systems capabilities considering the operational needs and the outcome of above activities.
• Demonstration and evaluation of a representative MDO combat training scenario in a multi-national context.

In addition, the proposals should cover the following tasks:

• Studies: • Identify state of the art, research gaps, needs and requirements of MDO Integrated LVC in a multi-national context, including: • Identification of gaps in LVC training technologies, technological enablers, and standardisation.
• Identification and analysis of the state-of-the-art LVC system architectures in the different domains across EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries. Identify security (cyber security and cyber defence) and technological gaps, which preclude the interoperability of live tactical data links (e.g., Link 16, Link 22, ADS-B, AIS) in the LVC training network.
• Survey on potential application of disruptive technologies (such as Extended-Augmented Reality, Big Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence).
• Identification of the specific interoperability challenges in live systems integration in a MDO multi-national context. Considerations must be given to evolve or integrate legacy solutions.
• Identification of how current Distributed Synthetic Training (DST) capabilities and Virtual and Constructive assets need to evolve in order to meet the fidelity requirements posed by integration with live assets/platforms.
• Identify how future LVC capabilities may benefit from using an Modelling and Simulation as a Service (MSaaS) approach in order to implement common services such as terrain and weather services, damages services as well as system initialisation services.

• Achieve an increment in the maturity of the LVC training paradigm and assessing its training value focusing on MDO in a multi-national context, including: • Integration of LVC training on operational, strategic, and tactical level. Technologies and interoperability standards for Multi Domain Operations Combination of LVC entities to give efficient and effective training effects.
• Design of training scenarios and approaches, including preparation, execution and management, and evaluation.
• Methods for measurement and evaluation of training value and performance

• Survey on the potential of live training areas in EU to integrate LVC technologies and migrate to a future integrated LVC training area which should ultimately lead to a future common EU training facility.

The proposals should substantiate synergies and complementarity with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities in the field of simulation, notably NATO and EDF simulation activities.

Functional requirements

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

• Interoperability of heterogeneous systems (from existing to next generation systems, manned and unmanned), including when in coalition situations with EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ forces and NATO forces, allowing to perform different missions with System of Systems approach.
• Common scenario synchronisation protocol and communication service are to be used.
• Interoperability with maritime on-board training systems, air embedded training systems and instrumented live training systems for the land domain as well as Distributed Synthetic Training (DST).
• Be applicable for the design of mission system for next generation combat assets and the upgrades of legacy combat systems.
• Enhanced visual capabilities with eXtended Reality to improve trainees’ immersion (e.g., visual, stimulated onboard subsystems)
• Enhanced training capabilities including adaptive training using new technologies (e.g., big data analysis and AI).
• Increase connectivity between live and virtual platforms and interconnection of tactical Data Links with Live dedicated training platforms.