SESAR EXPLORATORY RESEARCH SAPIENT PROJECT OVERVIEW

The SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Exploratory Research project called SAPIENT (Satellite and terrestrial architectures improving performance, security and safety in ATM) is a program of the SESAR Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 699328 [1][2]. It aims at defining Satellite and Terrestrial Architectures improving performance security and Safety in ATM (Air Traffic Management) through new and innovative functionalities for future CNS (Communication, Navigation and Surveillance) and ATM systems and future European RPAS (Remotely Piloted Air System) C2/C3 satellite Data Link (DL) for governmental initiatives (C2 states for Command and Control, while C3 states Command, Control and Communications). In this context it has been defined SAPIENT which is a novel cost-effective and performance-efficient system solution for aeronautical communications, aimed at adapting and optimizing the capacity and safety performance of aeronautical communication applications, e.g. CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications) and ADS-C (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract), in view of the estimated ‘status’ of air ground ATM SoL (Safety of Life) terrestrial and satellite datalinks over actual flown trajectories. To meet these targets, SAPIENT exploits the information on actual 4D aircraft trajectories – in terms of dynamic position in space and time – and performance data of ATM Air Ground Datalinks, produced by aircraft and other elements of the ATM Communication Infrastructure [3]. The innovative aspects addressed in the SAPIENT Project are related to the TAS-I patent “System for Aeronautical Safety of Life Applications Providing Adaptation of Services and Communication Resources for Maximized Safety and Capacity Performance” [4] . Significant references for the ATM Datalink aspects are the activities undergong in SESAR on VDL2 (VHF Digital Link Mode 2) [5] and other new generation digital datalinks and in ESA on Iris [7]. The SAPIENT solution is a multilink/data link monitor and control system. It is aimed at providing information on the aircraft perception of the operational layout goodness in order to correct or operate more effectively with respect to the ATM communication goals. The main objectives are: - Support the multilink function during the selection of the optimal data link; - Foresee retroaction on the in-use data link, and change the resources during the flight, according to information obtained through it and according to the information collected from the other SAPIENT system actors; - Retroact on multilink function in order to change the priority between data links (i.e. need of load balancing in a common coverage area with traffic hot spots). The use of the SAPIENT system is expected to positively impact: - The efficiency of the data-links management in a multilink environment, resulting in less resources needed by ATM communication system elements, with main focus on effective and efficient use of RF spectrum The Communication issues in the ATM air/ground links minimizing the need of tactical interventions from ATC (Air Traffic Control) and pilots to de-conflict situations - Communication issues in the RPAS C3 satellite DL minimizing the use of RPAS safety procedure that will limit the execution of the RPAS missions - The Air Navigation Service providing a cost saving obtained by improving the Air navigation Service productivity and the frequency band usage The aim of this paper is to present the SAPIENT reference architecture and system boundaries, the SAPIENT protocol and the main SAPIENT simulation result

Post-Westgate SWAT : C4ISTAR Architectural Framework for Autonomous Network Integrated Multifaceted Warfighting Solutions Version 1.0 : A Peer-Reviewed Monograph

Police SWAT teams and Military Special Forces face mounting pressure and challenges from adversaries that can only be resolved by way of ever more sophisticated inputs into tactical operations. Lethal Autonomy provides constrained military/security forces with a viable option, but only if implementation has got proper empirically supported foundations. Autonomous weapon systems can be designed and developed to conduct ground, air and naval operations. This monograph offers some insights into the challenges of developing legal, reliable and ethical forms of autonomous weapons, that address the gap between Police or Law Enforcement and Military operations that is growing exponentially small. National adversaries are today in many instances hybrid threats, that manifest criminal and military traits, these often require deployment of hybrid-capability autonomous weapons imbued with the capability to taken on both Military and/or Security objectives. The Westgate Terrorist Attack of 21st September 2013 in the Westlands suburb of Nairobi, Kenya is a very clear manifestation of the hybrid combat scenario that required military response and police investigations against a fighting cell of the Somalia based globally networked Al Shabaab terrorist group.Comment: 52 pages, 6 Figures, over 40 references, reviewed by a reade

Architecture for Mobile Heterogeneous Multi Domain Networks

Multi domain networks can be used in several scenarios including military, enterprize networks, emergency networks and many other cases. In such networks, each domain might be under its own administration. Therefore, the cooperation among domains is conditioned by individual domain policies regarding sharing information, such as network topology, connectivity, mobility, security, various service availability and so on. We propose a new architecture for Heterogeneous Multi Domain (HMD) networks, in which one the operations are subject to specific domain policies. We propose a hierarchical architecture, with an infrastructure of gateways at highest-control level that enables policy based interconnection, mobility and other services among domains. Gateways are responsible for translation among different communication protocols, including routing, signalling, and security. Besides the architecture, we discuss in more details the mobility and adaptive capacity of services in HMD. We discuss the HMD scalability and other advantages compared to existing architectural and mobility solutions. Furthermore, we analyze the dynamic availability at the control level of the hierarchy

Intelligence within BAOR and NATO's Northern Army Group

During the Cold War the UK's principal military role was its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) through the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), together with wartime command of NATO's Northern Army Group. The possibility of a surprise attack by the numerically superior Warsaw Pact forces ensured that great importance was attached to intelligence, warning and rapid mobilisation. As yet we know very little about the intelligence dimension of BAOR and its interface with NATO allies. This article attempts to address these neglected issues, ending with the impact of the 1973 Yom Kippur War upon NATO thinking about warning and surprise in the mid-1970s. It concludes that the arrangements made by Whitehall for support to BAOR from national assets during crisis or transition to war were - at best - improbable. Accordingly, over the years, BAOR developed its own unique assets in the realm of both intelligence collection and special operations in order to prepare for the possible outbreak of conflict

Is sea-basing a viable method of providing logistic support to the UK amphibious force?

Maritime power has traditionally been a central part of the UK’s defence planning and is well suited to supporting a wide range of military operations. The littoral area has always created problems for naval planners as most landings historically have had to endure a tactical separation of the naval and land components, and hence an artificial seam between the Navy and the Marines. With the end of the Cold War, amphibious operations are going to be more difficult to conduct than in the past, and amphibious forces are going to have to adopt manoeuvre warfare capabilities in order to successfully complete their missions. It is very likely that amphibious forces will have to conduct operations against a numerically superior enemy, who is on his own terrain, and be surrounded by a neutral, if not hostile populace. As such, the concept of Operational Manoeuvre From The Sea (OMFTS) whereby the sea is used as a manoeuvre space, and command and control is fast enough to cope with large amounts of information, but at the same time allow subordinates maximum flexibility to use their initiative, is increasingly attractive. It will be important not only for the combat elements to be able to use this new concept, but the Combat Service Support (CSS) elements as well

Development of a generic activities model of command and control

This paper reports on five different models of command and control. Four different models are reviewed: a process model, a contextual control model, a decision ladder model and a functional model. Further to this, command and control activities are analysed in three distinct domains: armed forces, emergency services and civilian services. From this analysis, taxonomies of command and control activities are developed that give rise to an activities model of command and control. This model will be used to guide further research into technological support of command and control activities

An overview of the Copernicus C4I architecture

The purpose of this thesis is to provide the reader with an overview of the U.S. Navy's Copernicus C4I Architecture. The acronym "C4I" emphasizes the intimate relationship between command, control, communications and intelligence, as well as their significance to the modern day warrior. Never in the history of the U.S> Navy has the importance of an extremely flexible C4I architecture been made more apparent than in the last decade. Included are discussions of the Copernicus concept, its command and control doctrine, its architectural goals and components, and Copernicus-related programs. Also included is a discussion on joint service efforts and the initiatives being conducted by the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. Finally, a discussion of the Copernicus Phase I Requirements Definition Document's compliance with the acquisition process as required by DoD Instruction 5000.2 is presented.http://archive.org/details/overviewofcopern00dearLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Real-time simulations to evaluate the RPAS integration in shared airspace

This paper presents the work done during the first year in the WP-E project ERAINT (Evaluation of the RPAS-ATM Interaction in Non-Segregated Airspace) that intends to evaluate by means of human-in-the-loop real-time simulations the interaction between a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) and the Air Traffic Management (ATM) when a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) is being operated in shared airspace. This interaction will be evaluated from three different perspectives. First, the separation management, its results are presented in this paper. Secondly, during the next year, the contingency management, also including loss of link situations and, lastly, the capacity impact of such operations in the overall ATM system. The used simulation infrastructure allows to simulate realistic exercises from both the RPAS Pilot-in-Command (PiC) and the Air Traffic Controller (ATCo) perspectives. Moreover, it permits to analyze the actual workload of the ATC and to evaluate several support tools and different RPAS levels of automation from the PiC and ATC sides. The simulation results and the usefulness of the support tools are presented for each selected concept of operations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Air traffic control surveillance accuracy and update rate study

The results of an air traffic control surveillance accuracy and update rate study are presented. The objective of the study was to establish quantitative relationships between the surveillance accuracies, update rates, and the communication load associated with the tactical control of aircraft for conflict resolution. The relationships are established for typical types of aircraft, phases of flight, and types of airspace. Specific cases are analyzed to determine the surveillance accuracies and update rates required to prevent two aircraft from approaching each other too closely

A piloted simulation study of data link ATC message exchange

Data link Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Air Traffic Service (ATS) message and data exchange offers the potential benefits of increased flight safety and efficiency by reducing communication errors and allowing more information to be transferred between aircraft and ground facilities. Digital communication also presents an opportunity to relieve the overloading of ATC radio frequencies which hampers message exchange during peak traffic hours in many busy terminal areas. A piloted simulation study to develop pilot factor guidelines and assess potential flight crew benefits and liabilities from using data link ATC message exchange was completed. The data link ATC message exchange concept, implemented on an existing navigation computer Control Display Unit (CDU) required maintaining a voice radio telephone link with an appropriate ATC facility. Flight crew comments, scanning behavior, and measurements of time spent in ATC communication activities for data link ATC message exchange were compared to similar measures for simulated conventional voice radio operations. The results show crew preference for the quieter flight deck environment and a perception of lower communication workload