Functional smart system-of-systems under an integral survivability approach for future naval platforms

Topic description

Objective:

Evolving operational environment and threats require the development of cutting-edge maritime technologies, solutions, and systems, which should be able to operate interconnected in a fully integrated way under challenging multi-domain (i.e., land, aerial, surface, subsurface, and cyber) threat conditions.

Naval platforms trends are based on technologies, standards, solutions, and systems, all designed from the start to work integrated together in a coherent manner, ensuring the survivability of the platform against emerging threats. Therefore, the main objective of this topic is to identify, define, design, and develop them, to be integrated on future European naval platforms.

The topic should act as a real enabler for both the European naval industry and the EU Navies. In that context, it should be very inclusive to be adapted to the most European Navies’ needs for their future naval platforms. It will allow EU Navies to remain at the forefront of technology, to maximise interoperability and the survivability by design, to operate with technological superiority, and to increase EU strategic autonomy. At industrial level, this topic should be an instrument for the European industry to assess and reinforce its ability to develop and support emerging key technologies.

Specific objective

The specific objective of this topic is to define the common operational requirements of the System of Systems (SoS) framework and the essential elements of the next generation of European naval platforms. Such a SoS framework is expected to embrace the supporting infrastructure including interfaces, data, and common and specific services. It must identify the technological needs for the future development of European naval platforms with special attention on emerging technologies, promising solutions, and the increased resilience of naval vessels when facing the most sophisticated threats by near real-time evaluation of survivability.

In particular, the topic should contribute to solve these specific challenges:

• The capability to operate interconnected in a fully integrated way, under challenging multi-domain (i.e., land, aerial, surface, subsurface and cyber) threat conditions.
• The definition and the design of the core architecture of the future European naval platforms by a SoS approach.
• The analysis of naval vessels survivability aspects on an operational level, considering its three key aspects (i.e., susceptibility, vulnerability, and recoverability) under an integral approach, leading to a resilient ship.

This topic aims to identify and define essential elements for future European naval platforms as functional system building blocks by specifying a full set of new technologies, solutions, and systems to be fitted on board, covering the following main areas:

• Four pillars:
• Combat System. New threats based on emerging technologies lead to the development of combat systems with enhanced sensors collaborating under an extended top-side concept that increase the detection capability, in time and accuracy, as well as new weapons/effectors able to face them, based on decision making algorithms to allow shorter reaction time to engage those threats. The UxVs are to be integrated into the Combat System as an extension of the detection and defence capability. In terms of survivability, specific challenges to susceptibility are the required countermeasures, both hard-kill and soft-kill, and their deployment, together with the ability to predict and manage where a missile or a torpedo might impact the vessel, as an important interface between susceptibility and vulnerability. UxVs should be also analysed in relation to ship survivability.
• Communication and Information System. Solutions need to be sought to meet emerging challenges in this area such as the management of a big volume of data transmitted at high speed (comparable to 5G and ahead) in a very demanding operational theatre, the integrity and cybersecurity of the data, and the EU naval tactical cloud integrated in a military multidomain operations cloud. Special consideration should be made on anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) scenarios, defining embarked cloud capabilities to support the edge operation of joint forces overseas. Attention must also be paid to complete loss of connectivity due to denial or due to stealth reasons.
• Enhanced Platform Management System. New threats and evolving technologies should lead to redefine the current concept of naval platforms to ensure enough and adequate power generation, as well as a proper top-side compatible with new weapons and UxV launch and recovery systems (LARS) on board. In the same way, future naval platforms should address efficient platform control and management, as well as increased power supply needs for future weapons and sensors, and new energy technologies to achieve the European Green Deal objectives. In addition, ship signature management, smart damage control, and survivability aspects should be considered because countermeasures, both hard-kill and soft-kill, and their deployment, or the impact of hypersonic missile or torpedo affect the vulnerability of the platform (e.g., a successful hard-kill engagement might result in debris hitting the ship, the success soft-kill deployments strongly affect the ship signatures). The impact of such events should be studied, and technical solutions to withstand the physical and system damage should be identified.
• Navigation System. Solutions should be sought for increased safety during navigation, independent satellite positioning system, accurate inertial navigation system, autonomous operations and multi-manned and unmanned, underwater, surface, and aerial vehicles coordinated navigation.
• One transversal area linked to the four pillars:
• Survivability Advisory System Foundation. The evolving threat landscape should result in a need for an advisory capability to assist in the setting of the ship signature management system, the deployment of hard-kill and soft-kill countermeasures, the adjustment of the ship’s signature for hit-point management, the post-hit damage assessment, the remaining capability including strength and systems, and the deployment of recovery actions to regain functionality. This should also allow for future task group advisory capabilities, where high value assets should be protected by the task group, and the survivability of the task group is expected to be optimised due to advice across the task group.

Proposals should design a SoS framework: Solutions should be sought based on a service-oriented architecture or any other evolution, that might sustain the above-mentioned areas. It should include transversal capabilities like for instance, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Based Decision Making, Digital Twin, Federated Mission Networking, Through-Life Support based on virtual reality and remote systems monitoring, Cyberwarfare, or Survivability

Proposals must address:

• The definition of common operational requirements of the essential elements for the future European naval platforms, covering the main areas (i.e., Combat System, Communication and Information System, Enhanced Platform Management System and Navigation System) under an integral survivability approach (i.e., Survivability Advisory System Foundation);
• The development of a concept of a SoS framework, typically based on a service-oriented architecture or any other evolution that might sustain the concerned areas;
• The definition of a modular, interoperable, scalable, and flexible concept design to support an architecture that should provide a versatile solution for answering future Navies´ needs and trends;
• The identification of emerging technologies that should respond to the operational needs of the future naval platforms, including integrated operational data-, messaging-, telecom-communication systems;
• The design of a tool for the management of the ship signature while advising on the status and solutions for timely and accurate deployment of countermeasures, both active (e.g., advanced jammers, signature manipulators) and passive (e.g., flares, chaff, corner cubes), coordinated with hard-kill solutions, and including the prediction and management of the hit-point;
• The assessment of existing solutions and the consideration of new damage control systems where appropriate through automated systems, crew actions, and recovery of systems, while performing predictions of the state of the ship after incidents, likely based on AI that processes sensor readings/information and imaging;
• The design of an operational guidance system to support the Navigation System for ship operations with a damaged and undamaged ship (e.g., advice for helicopter operations, UxV deployment);
• The identification of the priorities on technologies to be further develop in the future, as well as the level of maturity to be achieved for the associated elements;
• The analysis of a tool for the European naval industry to assess and reinforce its ability to develop and support emerging key technologies;
• The operational assessment and the analysis of the technical viability, as well as the evaluation of the feasibility of the baseline concepts;
• The design of a joint technology demonstrator and to de-risk potential further activities in the future.

In addition, the proposals should substantiate synergies and complementarities, while avoiding unnecessary duplication, with activities described in previous call topics under EDIDP and EDF programmes.

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

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

• Integrating knowledge:
  • Illustrate an integral overview of available and to be developed technologies fitting in a future European System of Systems.
• Studies:
  • Identification and definition of the systems and the subsystems that may be considered essential elements for the future European naval platforms, according to the main areas.
  • Development of the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) under the direction of the participating Navies.
  • Defining operational requirements including threat analysis and assumptions, under the direction of the participating Navies, and derive use-cases (vignettes) as a common basis for the project.
  • Establishing the guidelines for an integral survivability approach, leading to solutions to be applied in the design phase of a vessel.
  • Defining the guidelines for the main areas (i.e., Combat System, Communication and Information System, Enhanced Platform Management System, Navigation System, and Survivability Advisory System Foundation) and for the SoS framework.
  • Elaboration of a comprehensive roadmap, identifying technologies to be considered and developed for the future European naval platforms, and prioritising the developments on technologies and the associated elements for subsequent phases and the target TRLs to be achieved.
  • Tools for analysis of the European industrial capabilities to support current and emerging key technologies.
• Design:
  • Conceptual design of the essential elements and the framework to equip the future European naval platforms, considering the following aspects:
    • Identifying target architecture baseline concepts for SoS.
    • Identifying specific and common baseline services for the next generation of naval systems.
    • Assessing operational, technical, and programmatic feasibility of the baseline concepts, optimising naval vessel survivability.
    • Identifying a demonstrator of the common framework with the possibility to incorporate specific elements to perform partial tests for risk reduction and technology consolidation.
  • Tools for assessment of European industrial capabilities with the elaboration of an up-to-date map on skills and knowledge, processes, facilities, and equipment needed to design, develop, manufacture, repair and support key technologies and products for next generation of European naval platforms.

In addition, the proposals should cover the following tasks:

• System prototyping:
  • A prototype for the SoS framework should be developed, including some representative pillar functionality, in addition to some capability focused on the Survivability Advisory System Foundation. It should be developed to demonstrate the proof-of-concept between participating Navies.
• Testing:
  • Testing some performances of the prototype.

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

For more information, please check section 6.

Functional requirements

The proposed SoS framework should:

• Be modular, interoperable, scalable, flexible, and adaptable to the requirements of the Navies;
• Be based on a service-oriented architecture and include the common and specific services for the essential elements;
• Consider the available government developed applications;
• Cover the main challenges for the next generation of European naval platforms while allowing the incorporation of new developments to face the future needs and threats, and serving the basement for future developments.

The conceptual design should consider new and promising technologies to:

• Shorten reaction times to engage the new threats like hypersonic missiles, or small targets that may appear in swarms, using the aid of decision-making algorithms;
• Enhance integration of new types of weapons based on conventional and non-conventional reaction means, as laser and direct energy weapons, or electromagnetic rail-gun weapons;
• Incorporate an integral missile defence, ballistic missile defence capability, and an integral anti-torpedo system;
• Integrate UxVs in combat system as an extension of detection and defence capability;
• Manage a big volume of data transmitted to high speed in very demanding operational scenarios;
• Ensure the integrity and security of data;
• Enhance the platform control capabilities such as ship signature management, smart damage control, or higher survivability, while harmonising requirements across the disciplines of susceptibility, vulnerability and recoverability;
• Increase the power supply needs for future weapons and sensors;
• Provide advanced navigation processing to improve the own-ship estimated position and navigation data even in GNSS denied environment, considering other positioning methods like astronomical exploration and localisation;
• Facilitate a SoS approach by identifying transversal capabilities such as AI-based decision making, digital twin, federated mission networking, through-life support based on virtual reality and remote systems monitoring or cyberwarfare, that substantiates an integral conception of the ship systems.

The outcome should contribute to:

• the commonality of European naval systems to increase interoperability and interchangeability among European defence naval industries and Navies;
• an integrated survivability of naval vessels, more resilient against future threats, and with a reduced size and safer crew;
• promoting the EU strategic autonomy in the naval sector, configuring naval forces that respond to national and European strategic needs and trends;
• reducing the development and maintenance cost of future systems throughout their life-cycle;
• developing innovative systems, more efficient, scalable, and adaptable to different naval platforms.