Think tanks: How smarter vehicle electronics are enabled by open architectures

Story

September 09, 2024

In the span of a generation, military vehicles have evolved from relatively simple mechanical beasts to rolling supercomputers. Today’s combat vehicles pack more processing power than entire command centers did just a few decades ago.

This exponential growth in capability brings with it a host of new questions: How do you keep these complex systems secure? How can you ensure they work seamlessly with older equipment? Perhaps most crucially, how do you design vehicle electronics (vetronics) to be easily upgraded as technology inevitably marches forward? These are the issues the defense industry must focus on in 2024 and beyond.

Open architectures enabling vetronics innovation

One way to solve these challenges is to leverage a modular open systems ap­proach (MOSA) and develop open architecture solutions that meet open standards.

One solution that enables vetronics systems as a way to get new technology integrated into vehicles more quickly is the C4ISR/EW [command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance/electronic warfare] Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS). The standard addresses long-standing issues of interoperability and life cycle costs in military vehicle electronics. CMOSS is designed to streamline the integration of various subsystems and make future upgrades more cost-effective.

CMOSS aims to establish an open standard-based architecture for C5ISR/EW systems (with the extra C standing for “cyber”), says Shaun Fischer, division vice president for business development at Abaco Systems (Huntsville, Alabama). This approach has multiple benefits, including reducing size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements; increasing interoperability; and accelerating the insertion of new technologies.

“Traditionally, they are all different subsystems with limited interoperability off the shelf,” Fischer explains. “Significant time and cost are spent to integrate such subsystems into a platform, and even more time and costs are typically required to add or change these subsystems after integration.”

CMOSS addresses these points by defining a reference architecture and set of standards. This standardization maximizes interoperability between subsystem components and enables upgrades without significant impact on other components.

John Ormsby, director of business development at Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions (Ashburn, Virginia), highlights the cost-saving aspect of this approach. “CMOSS mitigates expensive replacement costs and the logistical impact of upgrades to resolve obsolescence and meet security and performance requirements to defeat the ever-changing threats U.S. ground forces are facing on the battlefield,” he says. (Figure 1.)

[Figure 1 | Curtiss-Wright’s VPX3-1262 is a rugged 3U OpenVPX single-board computer designed for high-performance processing systems aligned to the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard.]

CMOSS has been a requirement on BAE Systems Army programs for some time, notes Mark Brinkman, director of sustainment, BAE Systems (Falls Church, Virginia). “We have embraced this as a platform solution and engaged with industry leaders such as Curtiss-Wright, using their technology to implement our vehicle management systems and hosts for the required network-centric warfare applications used by our soldiers.”

Brinkman adds that while the full benefits of CMOSS are yet to be realized, they are expected to pay off in the future, particularly when dealing with subsystem obsolescence issues.

This approach has benefits beyond just the U.S. military, says Paul Mehney, vice president of strategy and communications at Thales Defense & Security (Clarksburg, Maryland). “We are embarking on efforts to develop technology that may be applicable to NATO and foreign security partner use as we see demand signals from coalition countries for CMOSS capability.”

Virtualizing radio capability through CMOSS will address SWaP challenges in both manned and unmanned platforms, he adds. Moreover, it will enable network transport security upgrades without requiring expensive hardware changes.

Implementation hurdles

While CMOSS promises significant benefits for military vehicle electronics, its implementation is not without obstacles. Industry experts point to several key aspects that must be addressed for the standard to reach its potential.

Managing cost is always problematic with any new technology implementation. “The upfront cost of hardware that fits inside a common architecture approach is always the challenge,” Brinkman says.

Fischer agrees, noting that “the biggest challenge will be funding, as with most paradigm shifts.”

Cyber defense is an ongoing concern as well. “One of the major challenges is the implementation of certified cyber­security enhancements to protect the computing and networking systems from emerging threats,” Ormsby says.

SDRs

The transition to software-defined radio (SDR) solutions is yet another element facing open architecture designers, Fischer adds. While running RF waveforms on open standards computing cards is relatively straightforward, he says that the real challenge lies elsewhere: “It’s connecting that card into the open standards architecture with the power amplifiers and radio heads – where the RF signals are transmitted and received – that still needs work,” Fischer says. He adds that Ethernet-based radio components, which form the backbone of CMOSS architectures, are still catching up in terms of robustness.

Mehney points out the complexity involved in CMOSS card development, particularly when it comes to porting advanced secure waveforms. “Working with the government to define and prioritize requirements is key to delivering the right capability at the right time,” he says.

CMFF chassis development

Those behind the CMOSS standard are also designing new ways to fit advanced electronics into vehicles, Mehney says. Thales is investing in CMOSS technology, with a focus on developing advanced secure CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF) card waveform technology for U.S. Army and Marine efforts, he notes.

“The government is actively designing and programming space in modernized tactical and combat vehicles to accept the CMFF chassis,” he says, noting that this approach makes it easier to upgrade vehicles without needing to completely overhaul their electronics. “The success of CMFF in part hinges upon not requiring expensive and complex vetronics upgrades.” (Figure 2.)

The Army created CMFF as way to reduce SWaP in vehicle systems. “[CMFF] capability is governed by the CMFF Reference Architecture which is guided and derived from technical requirements found in the CMOSS Interoperability Requirements Specification (IRS), specifically including the Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA), Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE), Vehicular Integration for C4ISR/EW Interoperability (VICTORY), and the Modular Open RF Architecture (MORA),” according to the Leonardo DRS website. “CMFF systems and their payload cards are planned to be simple and intuitive to install, operate, and maintain by soldiers, and be resilient, reliable, and available to operate in all operational air and ground environments.”

[Figure 2 | Pacific Defense’s SX-3000 CMFF system. Thales collaborates with Pacific Defense and other providers as part of a CMFF team.]

CMOSS and CMFF will play an important role in consolidating mounted mission-command solutions for the Army, particularly in upcoming combat platforms, Fischer predicts. “Common computing solutions based on open standards will become more prevalent in the newer combat platforms,” he says.

Mehney expects a “gradual potential reduction in size and power needs on the chassis, delivering a phased approach, gradually improving performance while reducing SWaP.” He also foresees the development of advanced waveforms for card integration, with a focus on NATO and coalition waveforms to enhance multinational interoperability.

He says he also believes there will be “continued development of advanced vehicle power and network management systems to better take advantage of CMOSS backplane capability.”