25 March 2021

US Navy seeks prototype data fusion system for C-UAS

by Carlo Munoz

The US Navy is seeking industry input towards the development of a new High-Level Data Fusion (HLDF) prototype system architecture, designed to augment command and control capabilities (C2) aboard current combat platforms to support counter unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) operations.

The crux of the new HLDF prototype will be a new open systems architecture “that can fuse data from multiple sources to provide object assessment, situational assessment, and threat assessment”, particularly those posed by small UAS (sUAS) platforms, according to a request for solutions (RFS) posted by the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) in March. Service leaders have set aside USD3.5 million for the programme.

In the end, the new architecture and associated Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) requirements will lay out the technological blueprint for “competitive design and development of complete HLDF components of C2 systems, or individual data fusion software modules, [which] can be used to allow software modules from multiple organisations or systems to be interoperable”, the S2MARTS solicitation stated.

Specifically, the architecture requirements being sought by navy engineers will allow service personnel to integrate software modules into existing C2 systems. That integration will allow the adoption of the HLDF architecture into those systems, the solicitation stated.

The new integrated modules will also be swappable between the HLDF architecture and other “unique or undocumented software architectures” employed as part of C-UAS platforms used by the navy, service officials wrote. The ability to swap modules will allow for the “seamless ingestion and fusion of collected data” into the prototype architecture in a platform-agnostic manner, they added.

Along with the software modules, programme officials are also requesting an “assessment of existing capabilities” for data fusion, as a way to further reduce the workload on C2 and C-UAS operators, it added.