The Leonardo DRS AC²ES Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing answer is pushed by the ability of the MFoCS system already put in in most tactical autos. Photo courtesy of Leonardo DRS.
In this Q&A with William Guyan, senior vice chairman and basic supervisor of Leonardo DRS Land Electronics, we focus on how AC²ES (A-PNT Converged Computer-Embedded and Scalable) can present rapid A-PNT capabilities by way of the Mounted Family of Computer Systems (MFoCS).
Breaking Defense: What’s driving the necessity for Assured PNT?
William Guyan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Land Electronics. Photo courtesy of Leonardo DRS.
Guyan: All worldwide forces have grow to be community enabled and GPS dependent. Along with the advantage of utilizing GPS for administration of forces and utilizing the timing that comes with GPS with a view to synchronize protection programs, comes the draw back that somebody can take these away from you, as properly. Just as there are lots of programs that allow GPS and networks, now there are new programs that may deny these and create an surroundings that jams or spoofs GPS alerts. Systems which can be dependent upon place knowledge or the timing that comes from a GPS satellite tv for pc community can now be fooled or disabled by an adversary.
Breaking Defense: Are we seeing that taking place now, like we’re experiencing on the community facet with fixed cybersecurity assaults?
Guyan: We’re conscious of the aptitude that our adversaries have, and I believe they’ve demonstrated a willingness to make use of it. It solely is sensible, given our dependency on the capabilities that GPS gives, to stage the taking part in discipline in an space the place we've nice benefit.
Taking away our means to know the place we're and our means to synchronize forces utilizing fashionable programs is one thing that any adversary would attempt to do. Because of that, the Army recognized this as considered one of its vital modernization goals—the necessity to establish and discipline an Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing functionality, or A-PNT. In truth, one of many cross-functional groups that the Army fashioned to deal with key functionality gaps and modernization challenges is the A-PNT/Space CFT. So, along with having a program of report that’s already delivering A-PNT functionality, the Army additionally has a cross-functional crew charged with persevering with to establish new methods of fielding new, modern, and more economical capabilities throughout the drive.
Breaking Defense: How is PNT presently supported by MFoCS and the way would possibly it evolve with AC²ES?
Guyan: MFOCS is the acronym for the Mounted Family of Computing Systems, the pc and shows programs utilized by PM Mission Command to allow Joint Battle Command Platform (JBCP) and Mounted Mission Command capabilities. Most of the MFoCS programs which can be delivered right now are delivered with an embedded anti-spoofing GPS, or a SAASM GPS. There’s a subsequent era of GPS referred to as an M-Code GPS that's within the pipeline and may very well be a simple drop-in addition to the MFoCS system to supply for a extra resilient, jam-resistant, spoof-resistant functionality.
But there are additionally an entire collection of extra capabilities that may be discovered within the A-PNT toolbox. That’s what we've executed with AC²ES, which is a Swiss Army knife of capabilities that may permit a buyer to match up their danger profile and their affordability profile with a spectrum of functionality decisions that finest match their wants.
Right now the Army has two decisions: normal GPS and the higher-end answer referred to as MAPS (Mounted Assured Precision Navigation and Timing System), which is the Army’s program of report for A-PNT. MAPS works; MAPS is being fielded and it'll do the job.
The subject is that MAPS isn't going to be instantly, nor affordably, accessible for the entire programs the place we have to have resilient A-PNT. The Army wants extra complementary options along with MAPS, tier two and tier three options, if you'll, that enables them to drag left the aptitude fielding of A-PNT, inside finances constraints as a result of yow will discover a GPS, a number of, on virtually each platform, virtually each complicated system that the Army has. Every a type of programs may very well be disrupted by an enemy that chooses to take action.
So, so as to have the ability to battle the best way we need to battle – and be capable to rely upon the programs that we depend on now, A-PNT at totally different ranges of functionality needs to be fielded throughout the drive with a view to give the enemy purpose to be involved in regards to the effectiveness of their jamming efforts. That might trigger them to vary the best way they battle and, importantly, will even give our troopers elevated assurance and confidence that their programs will work even in non-permissive environments.
Breaking Defense: Does AC²ES present a special or higher functionality than MAPS?
Guyan: The AC²ES functionality is, we imagine, complementary to the aptitude that the Army already has within the pipeline below the MAPS program. It doesn’t change MAPS, it doesn’t problem MAPS. But as a complement to MAPS, it may deal with the necessity to discipline extra programs extra rapidly and affordably. It gives a spectrum or menu of functionality decisions that the person can choose from with a view to match up how a lot they should spend with the chance that they’re attempting to keep away from.
One means to assist the Army and the Marine Corps in pulling this functionality left – and doing it affordably – is to permit them the chance to reuse the funding they’ve already made in MFoCS {hardware}. Although AC²ES may be applied within MFoCS {hardware} as an improve, it’s not at present a part of the MFoCS program.
More than a billion {dollars} value of MFoCS computer systems have been bought by the providers. We can take the computing energy that’s already resident in these put in programs and improve them to supply assured place, navigation, and timing functionality for Mission Command/Blue Force Tracking, and in addition distribute the A-PNT knowledge to different programs programs, to make them higher protected in opposition to the chance of enemy jamming or spoofing.
Breaking Defense: And you funded this with our inside analysis and improvement {dollars}?
Guyan: Yes, we've a really aggressive, self-funded functionality improvement effort within Leonardo DRS. This is likely one of the areas the place we noticed the client expressing a necessity for a functionality, and us having the potential for filling that want in a means that provides worth. For some clients and sure functions, we noticed the chance so as to add functionality, save them cash, and permit them to ship the aptitude extra rapidly.
In some circumstances, the client’s main constraint isn't essentially value. It may very well be dimension, weight, or energy. The MFoCS system already has a footprint on most platforms. It already has energy and has an area declare, so we’re not including one other field or an set up equipment.
We demonstrated AC²ES on the second annual PNT Assessment Exercise (PNTAX) final yr and we’ll be demonstrating it once more later this month at this yr’s PNTAX occasion, validating its functionality at White Sands Missile Range in the entire totally different functionality ranges that that we’re attempting to supply.
Breaking Defense: What are among the outcomes and efficiency that you just’ve seen to this point?
Guyan: We obtained very encouraging outcomes from the participation within the final PNTAX, outcomes that had been encouraging sufficient to get the eye of, I believe, the CFT and representatives each contained in the Army and Marine Corps.
The PNTAX occasion that we’re doing this yr is a extra intensive set of testing. It’s being monitored by these clients, who've demonstrated or expressed curiosity within the product. We see it as a kick-the-tire occasion for {our capability}. In addition to having the ability to consider {our capability}, clients are going to have the ability to consider {our capability} versus different capabilities and the associated fee trade-offs related to them.
One of the fascinating issues that we're in a position to do with the AC²ES answer—along with bringing functionality to the left and saving value within the fielding—is that we’re additionally in a position to mix the A-PNT functionality with the computing energy that’s resident within the MFoCS platform.
This permits us to lean on a wider vary of potential options for coping with impaired PNT. One of them is an answer referred to as imaginative and prescient navigation. This is the power to match up what sensors see on a platform with a one-world-map database to substantiate or deny that the positional location coming from the system matches up with what the sensors are seeing. So, it’s a fallback security to the system since you’re really matching what the place navigation system is telling you in opposition to what the sensors are seeing on the bottom.
Again, it’s one additional solution to examine that the GPS knowledge that’s being obtained is correct. We’re making good progress in that space and seeing excessive constancy. That’s a functionality that wasn’t initially designed for AC²ES however as a result of we've the computing energy and a really high-end processor that's within the MFoCS processor unit, we’ve been in a position to reveal that functionality, as properly.
That’s one space the place we’re demonstrating a functionality that MAPS was by no means requested to reveal, however factors the best way to enhanced capabilities for A-PNT going ahead.
