Future Combat Mission System
Enabling air power in networked operations
In FCMS, four independent German companies with a long tradition are pooling key technologies from the aerospace, security and defence sectors to develop a secure, reliable and robust digital network for the Future Combat Air System and to operate it jointly with European partners.
Operating sensors and effectors in a network
When evaluating the planned capabilities of future opposing air defence systems, various technological trends can be identified. For example, there will be numerous further developments in the fields of multifunctional reconnaissance (passive as well as active) and target locating, electronic combat and air defence missile systems.
These capabilities will be integrated across all performance dimensions by networking and automation to form one agile overall system. An air defence network developed in such a way, including different sensors and effectors at the corner stones, will represent a highly dynamic and complex threat potential for air operations of a NGWS team. It is vital that a flexible and robust answer to this challenge is found.
The NGWS team must therefore create a network of its own, equipped with appropriate capabilities and linked to the corresponding sensor and effector technology This is the best way to ensure that opposing air defence networks can be effectively tracked, targeted and engaged.
For this purpose, a large number of tasks in the fields of reconnaissance, target detection, target recognition and tracking and target engagement (kinetic and electromagnetic) as well as self-protection need to be coordinated and implemented synchronously with the highest level of precision and in an highly automated way. Humans must be integrated into the decision-making processes.
4π meta sensor-effector system
Thus, a multidimensional "4π meta sensor-effector system" needs to be established where "4π" describes the entire volumetric space. This allows the required fast orchestration within the integrated sensor-effector network, not only as a counterbalance to the ground-based air defence networks of the enemy but also to the enemy's own FCAS and NGWS equivalent systems which are to be expected.
This multifunctionality ensures that single sensors and effectors, for example, are able to perform several tasks simultaneously. Already today there are methods which are paving the way in this direction, for example e-scan radar systems or distributed apertures of passive sensor systems that are able to carry out several tasks synchronously, using for example electronic jet-efflux control and appropriate resource management.
Service-oriented approach
These capabilities of the sensor-effector network must be integrated vertically into the mission system and horizontally across all performance dimensions in a service-oriented approach. The task is: perform and operate faster and more precisely (with the help of real-time capable sensor-effector networks/subnetworks) in the network than the enemy! It is essential that information is condensed adequately and smoothly across all levels of integration.
Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) recently identified a worst-case scenario which must be avoided which is the risk of "swimming in sensors but drowning in data" scenario.
Smart sensor systems in particular will make an important contribution to this. Supported by (AI) algorithms, these will adaptively generate a basic tactical information and data base that can be further aggregated and fused flexibly and interoperable at higher levels.
This allows the goal-directed generation of a suitable information basis with required availability and reliability: the basis for an evaluation of the situation and for the decision support system of the pilot.