In a recent presentation at the Air Force Association, Col. Michael Orr, the CO of VMX-22, provided a look at how the USMC is shaping its combat cloud approach for the MAGTF. At the heart of the approach is working the following challenge:
“We are pushing big picture CAOC-type information down to secure laptops or secure tablets in the back of a tactical aircraft en route to an objective area.”
Based on his recent experiences in working with the Infantry Officer’s Course and with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron or MAWTS-1, Col. Orr discussed the USMC approach to shaping what might be called the combat cloud for the air-ground team.
Col. Orr underscored that for the USMC digital interoperability was about empowering warfighters. He argued that the experience of pilots in having significant connectivity and situational awareness was not the same as what the ground combat element or GCE in the USMC was experiencing.
He described this as a split between the haves and the have-nots. In the air combat world, pilots and air controllers have seen significant gains in connectivity and ISR. For many of the ground troops they were operating in virtually Vietnam era conditions with radio coms as the key link.
The Marines have been changing dramatically key aspects of how they insert force, notably around the Osprey. With a rotorcraft, the ground forces and commanders get on the helo and arrive within the hour at the objective area. In an air-refuelable Osprey, the ground forces and commander might spend several hours in the back before reaching the objective area; and obviously, not being informed and able to do mission planning in route is unacceptable. Whatever gains one might get with speed and range will be lost without enhanced C2 and ISR enabling the GCE in flight to the objective area.
“Our passion right now is taking all of the airborne sensors and off board that tactical information to a warfighter in the back of that Osprey whether it’s an air mission commander, or whether it’s a ground force assault commander, bringing that sensor-based information to him so he can make smart and intelligent decisions en route.”
2. AAW/EW/ISR
LHA/LHD
FA-‐18
Direct
Air
Support
Center
(DASC)
Tac:cal
Air
Opera:ons
Center
(TAOC)
TACP
EA-‐6B
ATNAVICS
Det
Unmanned
COC
(VMU)
Tac:cal
Air
Command
Center
(TACC)
LINK16
JREAP
BFT
VMF/CNR
FMV
CTN
• Link-‐16
is
the
Radio
Frequency
component
of
MIL-‐STD
6016
and
is
generally
associated
with
MIDS
radios.
• Joint
Range
Extension
Applica:on
Protocol
(JREAP)
is
a
fixed
format
derivaJve
of
MIL-‐STD
6016.
It
allows
the
user
the
ability
to
use
Combat
Network
Radios,
Internet,
and
Satellite
to
share
any
type
of
6016
informaJon
directly
with
other
users.
• Variable
Message
Format
(VMF)
or
MIL-‐STD
6017
is
a
derivaJve
of
MIL-‐STD
6016.
It
allows
the
user
to
define
tacJcal
message
structure
and
the
ability
to
use
Combat
Network
Radios
to
share
basic
tacJcal
data
(posiJon
and
text)
point-‐to-‐point.
• Blue
Force
Tracker
(BFT)
uses
the
VMF
protocol
via
stand
alone
proprietary
satellite
link
to
share
situaJonal
awareness
and
text.
• Full
Mo:on
Video
(FMV)
provides
omni-‐direcJonal
video
outputs
to
in
band
receivers
in
the
air
and
on
the
ground.
• Composite
Tracking
Network
(CTN)
allows
radars
to
share
sensor
data
to
refine
the
air
porJon
of
the
Common
TacJcal
Picture.
BFT/JBCP
Network
AH-‐1W
AH-‐1Z
UH-‐1Y
CH-‐53E
RQ-‐7B
MV-‐22
RGT
COC
RF L-16
CTN
Node
OAS/AS/ISR
2013
LAAD
FA-‐18
KC-‐130HH
AV-‐8B
MK-‐142
UHF
LOS
PRC-‐117G
PRC-‐117G
TCDL
KC-‐130J
OV-‐1
MAGTF
Connec:vity
3. 3
INTEGRATION
INNOVATION
EXPERIMENTATION
InnovaJon
• Government
Labs
/
Industry
Partners
• Sensor
Fusion
– A
comprehensive
picture
represenJng
the
enJrety
of
the
electromagneJc
spectrum
and
combined
tacJcal
pictures
ExperimentaJon
• MAWTS-‐1
/
VMX-‐22
/
MCWL
/
VWC
• Payload
Control
– Distributed
reconfiguraJon
and
control
of
payloads
over
the
network
• Tablets
– Aircrew
and
Troop
Commander
situaJonal
awareness
tools
Digital
exchange
between
networked
sensors
providing
a
comprehensive
tacJcal
picture
enabling
distributed
operaJons
and
increased
operaJonal
tempo
Warfigh'ng
Capability
Con'nuum
4. UNCLASSIFIED
PlaZorm
Requirements
and
Programs
• Four
platform
requirements
for
Digital
Interoperability
• Bottom
line:
Integrate
existing
systems
to
develop
new
capability
Platform
Requirement
Sensor
Programs:
-‐APR-‐39D(V)2
-‐JATAS
-‐DoN
LAIRCM
-‐ATW
-‐LITENING
Pod
-‐UAS
Sensors
-‐RF
Tracking
Systems
-‐ELINT/SIGINT
Payloads
-‐Defensive
Weapon
System
(DWS)
Platform
Requirement
Processor
Programs:
-‐APR-‐39D(V)2
-‐JATAS
-‐Inherent
Platform
Mission
Computers
-‐Non-‐integrated
bus
monitoring
processor
-‐JRE
-‐CAC2S
-‐Mini
AIS
Platform
Requirement
Interface
Programs:
-‐EKB
(iPad
vs
Android)
-‐SMFCD
-‐BFT
EDM
-‐Inherent
Platform
Cockpit
Displays
-‐Troop
Commander
Workstation
-‐Tough
Book
Laptops
Platform
Requirement
Radio
(Network/Waveform)
Programs:
-‐ARC-‐210
-‐SRP
-‐SATCOM
-‐QNT
200/QNT
200C
-‐VORTEX
System
-‐TTNT
6.9
-‐TTNT
7.0
-‐ANW2
-‐Link-‐16
-‐Wi-‐Fi
-‐SRW
-‐PRC-‐117G
5. UNCLASSIFIED
MV-22 Gateway
Digital Interoperability
5
SRP
SPIRAL
2
23.00”
Long
5.95”
High
9.00”
Wide
Mass:
33.66
Lb.
TACDEMO Demonstrated Capability
• Gateway functionality (message translations), threat off-boarding, FMV on-boarding
and off-boarding
Developmental Program
• Software reprogrammable Payload (SRP)- software defined radio
– Rapid Development Capability program scheduled for test and evaluation in fall of
CY 15
6. RQ-‐21
GCS
TACC
KC-‐130J
COMMAND LINK
VMF/CNR
COMMON DATA
LINK (CDL)
COLLABORATION
LINK
MV-‐22
RQ-‐21
Cyber/EW
Coordina:on
Cell
(CEWCC)
AV-‐8B
A
Digitally
Interoperable
MAGTF
JTAC
RADBN
TPS-‐80
Group
4/5
FA-‐18
Cyber
Effects
EW
Effects
FMV
EW
Effects
FMV
MV-‐22
AH-‐1Z
7. SATCOM
TTNT
VOICE
ANW2
MV-‐22
Gateway
Airborne
FiST
BLOS
C2
via
SATCOM
Long
Range
Raid
Benefits
• Full
MoJon
Video
from
AV-‐8B
Litening
Pod
to
the
Air
Mission
Commander
on
a
tablet
• C2
reach
back
enabled
by
SATCOM
connecJvity
from
AMC
aircra]
to
the
Wing
OperaJons
Center
(WOC)
• SJll
imagery
and
text
chat
transmi^ed
to
a
tablet
on
a
local
network
between
assault
package
and
C2
aircra]
The
Next
Step
• Integrated
collaboraJve
planning
applicaJons
on
12
tablets
in
each
aircra]
• FMV
to
each
aircra]
in
the
assault
package
AV-‐8B
/
UAS
MV-‐22
MV-‐22
MV-‐22
MV-‐22
FMV
MV-‐22
Gateway
AMC
Talon
Reach
Long
Range
Raid
8. UNCLASSIFIED
AV-8B Integration
Digital Interoperability
TACDEMO Demonstrated Capability
• Integrated Link-16 into AV-8B cockpit displays
• Continued Pilot Vehicle Interface upgrades
• Conducted Digitally Aided Close Air Support
(DACAS) with an AV-8B using a tablet
Developmental Programs
• Litening Pod Upgrades
– Advanced Data Link Lowest Replaceable Unit (ADL-LRU) Litening Pod
• Tactical Targeting Networking Technology
– Network Tactical (NET-T) Litening Pod
• Common Data Link Waveform
– Merge of capabilities into single pod
• Link-16 Integration
– Exploring small form factor solutions or Software Reprogrammable Payload
8
9. UNCLASSIFIED
Tablets
Digital Interoperability
TACDEMO Demonstrated Capability
• Conducted Digitally Aided Close Air Support
(DACAS) with an AV-8B using KILSWITCH
application on a tablet
• Conducted radio frequency identification (RFID)
• Viewed the DoN Large Aircraft Infrared
Countermeasure (DIRCM) system full motion
video on-board the CH-53E and transmitted the
video to a tablet on an MV-22
Developmental Program
• The Electronic Kneeboard (EKB) and Electronic
Flight Bag (EFB) continues to develop in flight
applications but focus is now on tactical
applications
• Attempting to consolidate funding from
MARCORSYSCOM and NAVAIR into PMA-281 to
continue development and distribution of tactical
applications
9