Secure, resilient and rapid: Software-defined radios advancing multi-domain operations from ground to space

BAE Systems connects with Calibre Defence to discuss emerging threats, DoD priorities, and how software-defined radios are contributing to multi-domain operations.

By Calibre Defence in partnership with BAE Systems.

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The U.S. services are set on achieving multi-domain operations (MDO), the war-fighting concept that will help maintain U.S. military dominance for the next decade. MDO relies on communications, on the links between platforms, sensors, and decision-makers. As a result, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has key communications requirements, including resilience in contested radio frequency environments, distributed connectivity across platforms and domains, enhanced security, and rapid upgradability. Software-defined radios are central components of this goal; they can fuse communications, electronic warfare, and SIGINT. They allow for rapid fielding and upgrades, which contribute to the improvement of the kill chain.

BAE Systems has demonstrated novel capabilities in these areas to include a software-based waveform for land-to-space communications and the sharing of electronic warfare data across tactical data links.  Amber Dolan, product line director for Adaptive Communications and Sensing at BAE Systems shares the opportunities and challenges of fielding new capabilities on existing platforms and across multiple domains.

Amber has worked at BAE Systems since 2009. Credit: BAE Systems.

What emerging threat scenarios are driving the need for next-generation communications systems?

Dolan: The threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with a broader geographic reach and longer distances. They’re not only physical but also attempt to disrupt our ability to communicate. Warfighters need to stay connected and share critical information in real-time across different networks and domains.

When I say domains, I mean two things. The physical domains: sea, land, air, space, and cyber. As well as security domains: sharing data in such a way that they can securely pass and receive information even in contested and congested environments.

These scenarios require battle-proven, highly reliable systems such as multi-band, secure anti-jam voice, data imagery transmission, and network-capable communications.

What specific communication requirements is the Department of Defense (DoD) currently prioritizing, and how are these needs evolving?

Dolan: The DoD is looking for solutions that offer resilience, distributed connectivity, security, and rapid upgradability.

Resilience is the ability to adapt and stay connected to provide persistent communications in harsh conditions. One example of adding resilience is integrating anti-jam capabilities into a system.

Regarding distributed, this means solutions for multi-domain operations and the ability to connect across heterogeneous platforms and different physical domains.

There is a continued emphasis on crypto modernization and enhancing our secure communications – protecting our data from adversaries. Our customers depend on our products to be their eyes and ears.

This goes along with the theme of upgradable.

Our systems need to be able to adapt to the evolving threats and rapidly incorporate software and firmware updates, preferably in the field. With your smart phone, for example, you want to update your operating system in real time as soon as an upgrade is available. You don’t want to send it back to the store every time there is a change or new feature.

The DoD is also looking for multi-functionality within software-defined radios that can be reconfigured within a mission or over its lifecycle. Any time we can upgrade a capability or integrate a new one in the field versus having to send a system back – if it’s a software-firmware only update rather than requiring a change of hardware – it’s much more efficient and lower cost.

That’s what customers are looking for in our software-defined radios and communications solutions – flexibility, cost, speed, and interoperability.

Can you elaborate on the development of new communication solutions with small-form-factors and multi-function capabilities? How do these advancements address requirements?

Dolan: We’re leveraging our software-defined radio designs to enable small-form-factor solutions that meet the DoD’s kill chain strategy and affordable mass goals. 

Our FireNet™ radio, for example, supports full Link 16 connectivity and has a scaled-down version of our legacy radios for the network. It leverages common hardware from our prior radios, which allows us to integrate some of our proven, advanced features from those systems onto the FireNet radio. An open architecture allows for future upgrades, as well, and addresses critical size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) demands that we’re seeing on current and future platforms.

In a separate effort, we recently completed a successful demonstration in our System Integration Lab, showcasing the sharing of electronic warfare (EW) information over the Link 16 network. This customized mission technology has the potential to be deployed on smaller, UAS-type platforms, highlighting our ability to integrate multi-function capabilities into a scalable, multi-function processor. The demonstration also showcased our ability to distribute this information over one of our legacy data links, further emphasizing the versatility of our technology.

BAE Systems is also demonstrating the latest state-of-the-art software-based waveforms capable of communicating from land to space and back. The significance of this is increased resiliency for the warfighter. 

Many of our waveforms are developed with a combination of software, firmware, and hardware. With a software-only based waveform, configured and developed quite rapidly, we’ve been able to integrate and test it quickly to meet mission needs.

What technical and integration challenges are associated with these modernization goals, and how are they being addressed?

Dolan: Developing and integrating new capabilities on a platform means considering its requirements, apertures, and lifecycle sustainment, in addition to mission needs. We need to provide scalable solutions that can fit on smaller, distributed platforms and be easily upgraded. Our focus is on leveraging our existing footprint to make updates and provide additional capabilities, rather than introducing new systems.

When it comes to the warfighter mission, our goal is to deploy our solutions across a wide range of platforms, with a focus on affordability. This is particularly important for smaller, unmanned platforms, where we can deploy multiple units and achieve greater efficiency. To achieve this, we need systems that are scalable and can be easily integrated into smaller, distributed platforms.

Another key area is accelerating the delivery of upgraded performance to our warfighters. There’s a long effort after development to get it qualified, fielded, and integrated on a platform. We’re working to streamline this process to meet the pace requested by our warfighters for enhanced capabilities in a timely manner.

With over 100,000 radio systems already delivered to the U.S. and coalition forces worldwide, we’re building on this existing foundation to provide updates and additional capabilities. Rather than introducing entirely new systems, we’re leveraging our installed base to make targeted enhancements, ensuring a more efficient and cost-effective approach.

For example, we’re enhancing the widely used Link 16 waveform, which is already deployed on numerous platforms. By providing new features through software and firmware updates, we can deliver improved capabilities without the need for new hardware or a completely new waveform. This approach enables us to rapidly deploy new features and capabilities, rather than waiting decades for the development and fielding of entirely new systems.

How is BAE Systems’ technology portfolio contributing to the modernization of communication systems, and what specific solutions are being developed or upgraded to support these efforts?

Dolan: Our work involves upgrades to tactical data links, multifunction capabilities that fuse communications, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence, and allowing for rapid fielding, lifecycle extension, and accelerating the kill chain. We’re modernizing systems for situational awareness and multiple simultaneous networked operations.

Communications is a critical element of that, and some of the systems that we are modernizing include our Multifunctional Information Distribution System – Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS). MIDS JTRS is a four-channel, software-defined radio system that provides secure, real-time, and interoperable communication for U.S. and allied military forces.

We’re also developing software-defined radios for the Airborne High Frequency Radio Modernization (AHFRM) program, which provides a secure alternative for satellite communications.

Our Network Tactical Common Data Links (NTCDL) support situational awareness and multiple simultaneous networked operations.

We also have our ARC family of radios in our portfolio to address these needs. The AN/ARC-231A radios support mainly rotary platforms and enable sharing of mission-critical information with the latest secure waveform, which can be tailored per mission. The ARC-232A radio provides the SATURN waveform for the Republic of Korea. SATURN is also the Second-generation Anti-jam Tactical UHF Radio for NATO.

In what ways are BAE Systems’ radiation-hardened solutions enhancing the reliability and performance of space-based communications, and what benefits do these solutions offer for warfighter operations?

Dolan: BAE Systems has been providing radiation-hardened electronics for more than 50 years for civil, commercial, and national security space missions. We’re adapting these technologies and processes to meet customer needs for radiation-tolerant solutions for low-Earth orbit.

To address this need, we’ve leveraged our expertise and adapted our technologies and processes to prioritize SWaP-C considerations. By doing so, we’ve been able to apply the knowledge and capabilities developed for rad-hard applications to create lower-cost, rad-tolerant solutions. Compared to radiation-hardened, this eases requirements on the type of hardware that you need and the environment that it needs to be able to work in.

Our objective is to provide solutions that can offer multi-band global communications access, and persistent encrypted connectivity for our warfighters from ground to space.