AI-based multifunctional aperture and transceiver

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07 November 2024

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AI-based multifunctional aperture and transceiver

TOPIC ID: EDF-2024-DA-C4ISR-AIMA-STEP

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme: European Defence Fund

Call: Development actions implemented via actual cost grants (EDF-2024-DA)

Type of action: EDF-DA EDF Development Actions

Type of MGA: EDF Action Grant Budget-Based [EDF-AG]

Status: Forthcoming

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned Opening Date: 20 June 2024

Deadline dates: 05 November 2024 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

Objective:

To cope with multi-dimensional warfighting environments, modern militaries need relevant situational awareness across all domains. They also need to be able to both operate cross-domain capabilities, such as any-sensor-to-any-shooter networking, and prevent the enemy from doing so. This requires communications systems that can perform ad hoc networking in all domains in dynamically evolving tactical situations. Currently, this is done with mobile ad-hoc networking (MANET) data links.

As wireless solutions such as the Internet of Battlefield Things proliferate, the electromagnetic spectrum is likely to become an increasingly important source of situational awareness. Passive electronic monitoring, detection, classification and localisation of enemy radio frequency emitters is part of the recognised situational picture. Traditionally, this has been the task of electronic warfare (EW) units and their specific equipment providing electronic support (ES) to combat units.

To counter a detected threat, forces can use kinetic- (KE) and directed-energy (DE) means with their weapon systems, or electronic protection (EP) and attack (EA) if they have jamming systems, traditionally equipment carried and used by dedicated EW units. Before directing fire at detected targets, soldiers must mitigate the risk of friendly fire. At long ranges and in poor visibility, this requires radio communications with either self-positioning based Blue Force Tracking (BFT) or interrogation-based Identification Friend or Foe (IFF).

Today, MANET data links, ES receivers, jammers, BFT and IFF are separate pieces of equipment requiring decentralised control, separate installation space, power supply, cabling, antennas, etc. By combining these functionalities into a single autonomously controlled equipment, it would be possible to achieve better performance, higher reliability, lower weight and lower life cycle costs.

In addition to the aforementioned technological reasons for converged aperture, there is also a need for converged systems. The electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) is expected to continue to be contested, congested and constrained. Military use of the EMS is under serious pressure from the civil community. Civilian, dual-use and military applications intermingle in the EMS currently in use, challenging the freedom and security of operation (OPSEC) of military users. With Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology, systems are likely to be able to dynamically perform mission and threat analysis, situational awareness, positioning and navigation, and jamming. This means dynamic adaptation to prevailing conditions at machine speed. This would require AI-based operation at the device and system of systems (fleet/network) level in order to coordinate actions of several systems with minimal detectability and platform losses.

Specific objective

The specific objective of this topic is to design, develop and build a system that should:

• Accelerate command and control (C2) and enhance operational effectiveness by providing cross-domain mobile ad-hoc networking capabilities to the armed forces.
• Increase lethality by enabling faster firing and reducing the risk of collateral damages, including fratricide, by providing the means to detect and target the enemy and to locate, track and identify friendly forces.
• Reduce enemy lethality and increase own protection by avoiding detection with AI-based emission control, stealthy waveforms and by jamming enemy communications.
• Provide autonomous mission management of several systems (including detection, jamming and targeting) within the network in order to improve survivability, and autonomously take actions to meet the mission objectives with the aid of AI.
• Be capable of operating in all weather conditions, in particular in the challenging Arctic environment and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) denied areas.

Scope:

Proposals must address study, development and qualification of new generation scalable and cognitive (AI-controlled) multifunctional software defined (SD) transceiver for military use in manned and unmanned platforms. The ultimate objective of the proposals must be to achieve a qualified prototype for end-user demonstrations with a view to obtain end-user commitment for operational use.

Proposals may also provide a framework for the development of new standards, including proposals for intelligent and effective spectrum management, and prepare to contribute to future standards. The design approach should focus on building a system capable for series production and scalable for product families.

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:

• Studies:
  • Study different technological approaches, materials and study of end-user needs and requirement specifications including relevant applicable standards, such as NATO standards, which are eligible for all weather conditions, including for the northern and arctic environment.
• Design:
  • Design the architecture according to preferably NATO Architecture Framework (NAF) model 4.0;
  • Select applicable technologies;
  • Design the needed modules;
  • Integrate and provide a proof of concept.
• System prototyping:
  • Manufacture all functional modules and prototypes;
  • Ensure manufacturing ability with efficient supply chain.
• Testing:
  • Perform laboratory and field testing in relevant operational environment (e.g. HWIL, real spectrum), as well as functional testing, to:
    • Evaluate system functions and EW performance (e.g. ESM, anti-jamming, jamming);
    • Verify functions and properties against technical requirements;
    • Validate requirements against operational needs and mission requirements.
  • Analyse evaluation results and provide feedback for continuous design improvements.

Regarding the optional activities, proposals may also address, where applicable:

• Qualification:
  • Qualify the transceiver (functional, cyber, EW, environmental and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)) for multi- and cross-domain use.
• Certification:
  • Ensure transceiver certifications by independent relevant body, such as authority or aircraft Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
• Increasing efficiency:
  • Ensure smart power consumption, efficient transmitter power control and smart communications Radiofrequency (RF) spectrum usage;
  • Converge and integrate different functions to increase their control efficiency and maximise the operational endurance and survivability of smaller platforms.

The proposals should substantiate synergies and complementarities with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities, notably those described in the call topics PADR-EMS-03-2019 related to Electromagnetic spectrum dominance, as well as in EDF-2021-SENS-R-RADAR, EDF-2022-RA-SENS-ART and EDF-2024-RA-SENS-ART related to Advanced radar technologies.

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 product and technologies should meet the following functional requirements:

1. General functional requirements

• The proposals should address the development of a new multifunctional transceiver which supports the following application-based functionalities: data link, secure digital voice, BFT, electronic support measures (ESM), EP and EA.
• The proposed design should be suitable for operations in future challenging environment and conditions, including operations in GNSS denied areas and under jamming, non-stop operations in all weather conditions, including arctic ones, and operations in congested, contested and constrained spectrum environments.
• The proposed design should support cooperation across the transceiver nodes (at least in surveillance and engagement) based on swarm intelligence operating in centralised and distributed architecture and address the needs for an AI-based mission management system of autonomous transceiver fleet.
• The design and architecture should be modular, Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWAP-C) scalable and support miniaturisation.
• The proposals should address convergence of common design for all platforms. The miniaturisation should lead to cost-effective manufacturing resulting in an affordable solution to all EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries, using various platforms with different requirements (future platforms as well as existing legacy platforms through Mid-Life Upgrades), also in the northern countries and arctic environment.
• The proposed system should support efficient and adaptive use of wide RF spectrum, transmission power, bandwidth and waveform features based on situational and operational conditions using artificial intelligence (AI) in analysis and control.
• System and hardware design should comply with open system architecture.
• Hardware and software architectures should support integration of several different software (SW)-based applications.
• Hardware should include low-cost solutions (e.g., sector antennas) and support high-performance solutions (e.g., active electronically scanned arrays (AESA)), possibly with the following capabilities:
  • Beamforming with as high directivity as applicable;
  • Covering the RF spectrum required for the targeted functionalities;
• Antenna solutions allowing for integration in platform structures (conformally when required). The proposed system should be compatible with applicable standards, such as NATO standards, and requirements and allow multi-domain interoperability in joint force operations.

1. Multifunctioning requirements

• Possibilities for the use of a direct conversion receiver should be included.
• Simultaneous multifunctionality of dynamic networking, secure digital voice, data link, BFT, ESM, EP/EA and transceiver control is the core feature of system requirements.
• RF and transceiver resource management and interoperability of two or more simultaneous applications (e.g., data link, ESM and EP/EA) should be controlled by a smart cognitive process, including for example:
  • Optimising the balance between unwanted RF emissions / interference between transmit-receive functions and communication requirements;
  • Continuous wideband RF sensing and application resource management.
• Transceiver should use simultaneously transmitting and receiving operation for all required tasks and functionalities.
  • The in-band full duplex (FD) mode may be utilised to improve spectrum usage efficiency.
• Proposals should include emissions control (EMCON) scheme in stealth operation conditions allowing network nodes to continue operation under restricted or no RF emission and continue active operation with acceptable delay.
• System positioning, navigation and timing and blue force tracking applications should use cognitive information fusion based on relevant sources to be provided by the proposed solution (such as GNSS, data link proportional navigation, ESM direction finding to known emitters and ground control support) and, when available, other sources (e.g., georeferencing (SAR, E/O visual and IR), stellar navigation, inertial, etc.).

1. Communication and networking requirements

• Networking should support multi- and cross-domain operations between different ground-based, airborne and naval platforms, as well as command and control entities.
• Networking should be scalable to different numbers of participants and applications, such as:
  • Real-time small-unit communications, e.g., swarming support;
  • Wide area information distribution for applications, such as blue-force tracking.
• Networking should support mesh topology with directional transmissions, providing self-configuration and self-healing capabilities.
• Networking should support smart datalink and dynamic traffic management according to user/mission policies/rules and overall situation.
• The system should be able to maintain connections to other nodes in the network in all possible directions (6 Degrees of Freedom (DOF) when using highly manoeuvrable platforms.
• The system should manage and control traditional passive antennas as well as active antenna beamforming and beam pointing (single/multiple) in 3D environment.
• Communication waveforms should provide robust Lower Probability of Intercept (LPI), Lower Probability of Detection (LPD), Lower Probability of Exploitation (LPE) and Interference/Jamming avoidance capabilities by using active, AI-based dynamic transmission control.
• Communication waveforms should use modern MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) beamforming techniques.
• The system should provide comprehensive support for Internet Protocol (IP) and commonly used networking standards.
• The system may support multiple loadable waveforms, including third party waveforms, and providing interoperability with other systems.
• The system may fulfil end-user communication and transmission security requirements, including support for Red/Black separation.

1. Electronic warfare (EW) requirements

• Signal detection and emitter recognition should be AI-based and should be capable of countering cognitive radars and threats with unknown waveforms.
• Signal detection, recognition and geolocation of targets and threats should support cooperative and distributed sensing to enhance detection of distant LPI/LPD targets.
• All system functions should be resilient to jamming and interference by EP, including, but not limited to:
  • Utilising selective directivity of antenna array (sector or active beamforming) which can reject (e.g., null steering) multiple jammers;
  • Adapting EP processing gain (bit rate and instantaneous bandwidth) by using cognitive spectrum management according to information transmission needs and operational situation;
  • Swarm level cognitive EP based on coordinated formation flying and use of data link (beam steering and routing);
  • By having high dynamic range receiver to allow observing and detecting signals with high dynamic in received power.
• System should be able to enable smart EA functions from single to multiple targets in coordinated manner with autonomous EA control process (e.g., AI-based), including, but not limited to:
  • Coordinated stand-in and stand-off jamming where all platforms within the jammed target’s range are using different jamming strategies in a coordinated manner (brute force or intelligent jamming, i.e., noise or equivalent method or repeating jamming or equivalent)
  • Utilising antenna directivity (sector or active beamforming) to selectively transmit EA RF waveforms to directions of the targeted platforms.

Expected Impact:

The outcome should contribute to:

• Reduce dependencies on non-European suppliers by boosting the EDTIB and promoting the development of a European solution.
• Maintain and enhance European sovereignty and information superiority for critical communication systems and capabilities.
• Decrease dependencies from non-EU technologies and products to support long-term targets of EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries.
• Enhance and support EDTIB’s goals and position in global markets.
• Facilitate multi- and cross-domain operations with increased information superiority capabilities from various Member States and EDF Associated Countries.
• Comply with the joint forces’ needs of manned and unmanned platforms and of command entities, at all operational levels.
• Support enhanced, safe and secure operations in friendly and hostile environment with new innovative modular, scalable, and multiuse interoperable RF transceiver technologies and adaptive use of radio frequencies assisted by Artificial Intelligence algorithms and characteristics.
• Equip troops and platforms of various sizes and domains with beyond the state-of-art interoperable and multifunctional communication and electronic warfare systems that are suitable for demanding tactical operations also in GNSS denied environment and arctic climate conditions.
• Enable the joint forces of the Member States and EDF Associated Countries for secure, timely and accurate data transfer and communication in multi- and cross-domain environments combined with efficient ESM and EP/EA capabilities.
• Expand EDTIB’s capabilities to produce new highly innovative and interoperable communication and information systems based on tactical multifunctional software defined radio and networks, as well as new generation systems that enhance survivability and operations in future battlefield.

1. Admissibility conditions: described in section 5 of the call document

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System

2. Eligible countries: described in section 6 of the call document

3. Other eligibility conditions: described in section 6 of the call document

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in section 7 of the call document

5. Evaluation and award:

Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: described in section 9 of the call document

Submission and evaluation processes: described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual

Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in section 4 of the call document

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in section 10 of the call document

Call documents:

Call document

Templates for proposals should be downloaded from the Submission System (available at the opening of the call), the links below are examples only:

-EDF Standardapplicationform

-Detailed budget table (EDF DA)

-Participant information(including previous projects, if any)

-List of infrastructure, facilities, assets and resources

- Cofinancing declarations (if the requested EU grant does not cover the total eligible costs of the project)

- Harmonised capability declarations (if the project covers design activities)

- Declarations on procurement intent and common specifications (if the project covers system prototyping, testing, qualification or certification activities)

-Actual indirect cost methodology declarations(if actual indirect costs used)

-Ownership control declarations(including for associated partners and subcontractors involved in the action)

-PRS declaration(if the project requires access to Galileo PRS information)

EDF General MGA v1.0

Additional documents:

EDF Annual Work Programme

EDF Regulation 2021/697

EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

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