UK prepares to test Combat Identification Server

The UK Combat Identification Server (CIDS) Technology Demonstrator Programme (TDP) will see a series of integration tests between September 2009 and May 2010.

General Dynamics UK (GD UK) is running the programme in association with QinetiQ, Rockwell Collins and SCS. The company won the GBP4 million (USD6.6 million) contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) after a competitive tender and work started in February.

GD UK's Philip Carpenter spoke at the recent Defence IQ Air Land Integration and Joint Fire Support conference in London. He said the CIDS TDP requirement arose out of the deferral of the UK MoD's Joint Data Networks (JDN) Backbone programme two years ago. However, the priority attached to the positional information and CID subset of the overarching JDN Backbone system was raised as a result of operational experience. The UK CIDS TDP was therefore instituted to demonstrate a practical server with a technology readiness level of 6 or greater.

The CIDS is intended to collate the various Blue Force Tracking (BFT) network sources occurring in theatre, so that (for example) a pilot is able to request relevant BFT data (such as 'friendlies' within 5 km of his weapon aiming point) for display in his cockpit, while the same data is presented concurrently to the ground-based forward air controller (FAC) or fire-support team he is working with.