MBDA extendible C2 weapon system in collaboration environment

Abstract

The need to improve the timescale and cost performance of C2 weapon system has led MBDA to identify a new way to deliver C2 weapon system based on a product line approach. An international MBDA team has been set up to identify commonalities in any command and control application within the air defence scope. This work led to an open architecture that encapsulates elements that depend on weapon system specificities by the ones that are common. The common elements, covering surveillance, threat evaluation, weapon assignment and engagement control functions within the wide MBDA’s set of effectors, have been developed using MBDA Internal Research Funding and now are used to build up next-generation C2 solutions. The extendible concept behind the framework architecture allows the use of the ‘MBDA Extendible C2’ during the initial phases of the contract (assessment phase, derisking, demonstrator, research) and for the deployment phase by providing the possibility for closed-loop feedback within the customer. The need to work collaboratively across nations leads to the design and delivery of the MBDA Collaborative Environment (or CEM) solution that is a collaborative engineering virtual laboratory for members who are located in separate sites. This environment is protected, which therefore enables the efficient sharing of data between Italy and other entities. This environment is a desktop-virtualization-based technology that creates a cohesive and scalable solution and centralizes the Italian infrastructure. This reduces development time as it allows real-time development and review of design artefacts, reducing the risk of duplication of effort. It reduces development risk of misunderstanding due to parallel development activities. Furthermore, it reduces time and costs of information technology set-up and management, and shipment time and cost. The CEM will be used to experiment Agile-distributed team collaboration.