Integration of Wireless Communication Modules With Military Vehicles

7/31/2019 Integration of Wireless Communication Modules With Military Vehicles

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INTEGRATION OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATION MODULES WITH MILITARY

VEHICLES

(SMARTPHONES & PDAs)

1. Military communications is no different than the rest of the world’s communications;

they want it smaller, lighter, covering more bands and carrying more voice and data than the

last generation of products. The bias of mil communication is towards network components

rather than network capability, a transport agnostic common operating environment leading to

develop standardized software applications including smartphone applications. Military

communications equipment are built to encrypt and decode transmissions and survive rough

treatment in hostile climates. They use many frequencies to send signals to other radios and to

satellites. The military is embracing the communications revolution, turning to a new

generation of sophisticated systems to enable faster, richer, less costly and more flexiblecommunications. Android security is taking top priority to enable deployed military forces to

use. Android devices on the battlefield for ad-hoc networking to exchange text messaging,

voice communications, and even intelligence imagery and video.

New regime of communication equipment

2. Today’s digital battlefield is a data- intensive place. The notion of network-centric

warfare means data from video, images, text, and voice communications ping-pongs across

every military theater at a dizzying pace, and there is no letup in sight for the volume of data

traffic during military operations. The unquenchable thirst for information of all kinds relativeto enemy positions and friendly forces, medical resources, fire support, nearby aircraft, the

status of resupply, and countless other crucial data points promises to grow in volume and

urgency to match the ever-quickening tempo of military operations. Pushed along by smart

phone competition, ground mobile radio technology is evolving rapidly. Smart phone and tablet

apps will give troops the ability to perform control, analysis and other sophisticated tasks

anytime, anywhere, while allowing commanders to instantly distribute essential documents

directly to troops. Future ground mobile radios will focus on two basic network approaches: the

Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and the Wideband Networking Waveform. The combined

technologies allow secure networked communications among platoon, squad and team-levelsoldiers, as well as satellite connections back to combat commanders.

3. The Army is focusing its ground mobile communications efforts on its Mid-Tier

Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) program, which aims to create a new vehicle-mounted,

software-defined radio system Other likely bidders on the contract include General Dynamics

and Harris.



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Driving factors for military hand-held devices

4. Military tablet has the same wants as desktop customers

a. Reliability

b. Faster processor

c. Lightweight

d. Long battery life

e. Low cost

5. Many pieces of military communications equipment are built to encrypt and decode

transmissions and survive rough treatment in hostile climates. They use many frequencies to

send signals to other radios and to satellites. So far the off shelf smart phones are not rugged

enough to withstand the battle of heat and face treacherous conditions. The military

technology think tanks are driving the focus of communication market towards integration of

such smart phones to communicate with the military level of communication. However, as

communication options multiply, so does the problem of getting disparate technologies to work

together efficiently and securely. Communications integration and security are now the top

challenges facing military.

6. Reliability for rugged tablets means: warfighters can read it in the direct sunlight of the

desert; can use it in the hottest heat of the desert; can use it in the cold weather of the Siachin;

can drop it and it won’t stop working; can mount it to any military vehicle and use it on themove; and can use it in the rain and in the dust.

7. Harris to Offer Android-Based Computer Tablet for Military



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8. Harris Corp. (HRS), a maker of radios and communications equipment, plans to offer its

first computer tablet to the U.S. military and other customers. The U.S. military increasingly has

turned to smart phones and tablets as broadband communications on the battlefield have

become more critical, notably during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The company will

introduce next week a rugged, 2-pound tablet that uses Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android

operating system. The device is designed to connect to military radios to provide troops with

voice, video and data communications.

Tactical radios verses smart mobile devices

9. The trend is leading to a new generation of flexible tactical systems that are easier to

carry and simpler to operate and that allow troops to access, generate and use information in

entirely new ways.

10. Drawing inspiration from commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices such as smart phones

and tablet PCs, military radio designers are adding innovative features and functions to an array

of communication and information delivery devices Although COTS devices are in the process of

becoming battlefield mainstays, still sees a bright future for tactical radios.. As technology

advances, tactical radios are becoming more like COTS devices, incorporating features such as

e-mail and chat modes. Meanwhile, many smart devices in the consumer market are acquiring

military-like levels of ruggedness and security. In the years ahead, Expectations are more COTS

devices to be deployed alongside tactical radios, even on the tactical edge when needs dictate

their use. Perhaps most importantly, budget concerns are helping to speed the arrival of COTS

devices in tactical situations.

11. Other factors for integration of smart phones are

a. Levels of security. Security refers to concealing message transmissions, through

scrambling, enciphering, spread-spectrum, or frequency hopping techniques to foil

an adversary’s attempts to eavesdrop on sensitive radio data communications

b. Non-standardization of communication network. The military has a lot on their

plate. Even with a huge focus on networks, the branches of military do not yet

have a standard for securing their networks. There are rugged, secure routers and

devices that communicate using wireless out there on the battlefield, but no

standard that protects them and allows them to communicate easily.

c. Secured communication network and flexibility. The use of data/processing

partitioning inherent in higher performance single-board computers or MILS

(multiple levels of security). This could allow for the use of open source Droid

App's and custom classified military applications operating within the same hand-

held device



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Bringing Android to Military Communications Devices

12. With the advent of multicore and hypervisor-enabled mobiles, military mobile devices

such as Type-1 PDAs and Software-Defined Radio (SDR) can now keep pace with the latest

commercial mobile software initiatives such as Google Android while reducing costs and

meeting the most stringent security requirements.

The power of a Multiple Independent Levels of Security

13. MILS separation kernel lies in its ability to enable coexistence of security-critical

applications with general-purpose applications. The separation kernel can provide a strictly

controlled Interposes Communication (IPC) path between the Android HCI and other red-side

applications as needed.

Military 'Droid

14. The rich functionality of the latest multimedia software packages, such as Android, can

now be incorporated into even the most demanding real-time, secure military communications

devices without increasing hardware footprint, cost, or certification burden. The key innovation

is MILS virtualization, which exploits the resource management capabilities, native applications

environment, and assurance pedigree of a trusted separation kernel and modern hypervisor

techniques to effectively consolidate general-purpose and critical subsystems.

Unlocking the Software Defined Radios' Potential for Military Communications Using Android

15. The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) has created open standards that unlock the

potential of Software Defined Radios (SDRs). Without the ability of software and hardware from

different software publishers and vendors to interoperate, radio development has reinvented

the functionality of a previous radio. Similar to Internet open standards enabling scalable and

global connectivity

16. A frequently articulated question to the JTRS program is, "why are additional radio

standards necessary when 3G and 4G commercial standards enable such great products such as

the iPhone and Android?" There are several differences between commercial and military

communications as depicted in Figure 1.



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17. Commercial standards such as Android or iOS are applicable for user interfaces, best

described as a presentation layer. These standards facilitate applications, assuming the wireless

carrier’s networking service provides the data transport. However, the presentation layer

standards only enable graphics and high-level capabilities such as chat and Web interfaces.

They do not enable the Sprint cell phone to operate in a different frequency band or to switch

from 3G to Satcom.

18. While JTRS radios are exploiting Android user interfaces for the Warfighter, they also

provide a rich set of waveform Application Program Interfaces (APIs). JTRS standards enable a

military radio to reprogram itself for Satcom, line-of-sight, and data trunking, all with very

different physical layers unsupported by any commercial products.

19. JTRS radios are designed to operate in regions of the world where different frequency

operating restrictions are an issue. In other words, what is permissible in the United States is

different from what is available in Europe or Asia. Commercial radios do not have the flexibility

to operate in completely different frequency bands.

20. Commercial handsets are not designed to interoperate with other wireless networks – a

cellular phone cannot communicate with P-25 public service radios. Depending upon the

mission, military radios must have the capability to intercommunicate with public service

workers and coalition forces. This requires flexibility and programmability not enabled by 3G

and 4G standards. The process explained in Figure 2 is typical of open standards

organizations.



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21. It is obvious that military and government radios require additional security beyond the

services provided in commercial products. The strength and quality of the encryption algorithm

is only the tip of the security iceberg as the military radio must be cyber hardened against

sophisticated nation state threats and attacks.

22. Military radios are more constrained in frequency spectrum than their commercial

counterparts – the precious military UHF satellite communications frequency band (serving all

users) has less frequency space than the 3G commercial cellular channel. Mobile ad hoc

networks (MANETs) were originally matured by the military, although commercial industry is

showing some interest in the technology that does not require cell towers and other

infrastructure.

SCA and SCA next

23. The Software Communications Architecture (SCA) was first released in 1999, initiating a

bow wave of software defined radios. A breakout of typical radio functionality is illustrated in

Figure 3.



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24. In this graphic, the radio hardware is separated between RF/Waveform processing and

general processing. Over-the-air signal transmissions generally require a combination of

Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and

Digital Signal Processors (DSPs). General processing can be performed by traditional computer

chips, although designers are conscious of the battery life for battery-powered devices.

25. In contrast, the Software Communications Architecture (SCA) and JTRS Standard APIs

have a rich API set for the RF/Waveform processing. It was designed to provide plug-and-play

infrastructure and the capability for dozens of waveforms to be deployed upon a single radioplatform. The SCA has standardized control and installation interfaces, permitting rapid

deployment of new waveforms or modifications necessary to mitigate an emerging threat or

scenario. Although the waveforms and applications in the SCA environment have the capability

of providing direct user interfaces, the APIs and services are less advanced than the Android for

presentation layer applications.



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26. Today’s radios use either an Android/iOS type or SCA environment, focusing on the

flexibility valued by their users. A base station needs to support multiple waveforms and has

limited user interface requirements. Tactical radios similarly need to support multiple

waveforms and ease of waveform upgrades. The SCA is best suited for these applications.

Commercial handsets for mobile telephony are increasingly using an Android/iOS environment.

It seems obvious that a bridge between the two operating environments would simultaneously

provide rich presentation capability and waveform processing. That capability is already being

exploited by the SCA Compliant JTRS Rifleman Radio using tethered devices.

Application Program Interfaces (APIs)

27. The primary emphasis in API standardization has been the waveform-to-set interfaces

illustrated in Figure 5. Only interfaces between the waveform and the radio are standardized.

Internal interfaces and transport mechanisms of the radio are defined as necessary by the radio

provider. The intent is to provide portability or reuse of the waveform between radio platforms

and not necessarily reuse of the radio operating environment software.

Summary -- Enabling military and government communications

28. The open standards for software radios generated by JTRS unlock the potential of

software-defined radios. The SCA defines the installation and control of waveforms ported to a

radio, facilitating in-the-field software installations and emergency upgrades. The JTRS APIs

protect the government’s ownership of tactical radio waveforms and software by defining a

common way for waveforms to interact with the JTRS radio architectures and hardware. .

29. The JTRS open standards are complimentary to the commercial Android/iOS APIs, which

provide presentation layer features, but no waveform features. JTRS radios are exploiting the

rich application availability and user interface capabilities of the commercial products, while

retaining the necessary interoperability, security, and waveform capabilities necessary for

military-grade radios.

30. The JTRS standards lay the foundation for an open competitive market in JTRS radio

development. Government purpose rights on software within the JTRS Information Repository

will enable:-

a. Competition

b. Prevent vendor lock-in

c. Reduce barriers to entry for small and agile software developers



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Conclusion

In the future battle field environment, tactical radios and mobile devices are likely to evolve in

ways that aren’t even fully predictable from today’s vantage point. A concept design unveiled

late last year showed a device that could be worn on a soldier’s chest, arm or wrist. Theproposed system included the ability to project battlefield maps and unit location data to its

user and to the data rich cloud. Whereas all network components are integrated through a

central Ad-hoc network server mounted on a vehicle which is further connected to Satellite up

linking and UAVs live stream acts as a link between individual devices.

With the advent of Android OS in tablets and commercial smart phone manufacturers turning

towards military specs integrated with common user applications are a real benefit in terms of

acquisition of integrated network components instead of complete new network with its sister

accessories. The concept of vehicle mount systems is limited to Ad-Hoc based server connecting

all devices rather in limited number rather than equipping every vehicle with that technology.

Android OS (Google) as compared to iOS (Apple) is much more military oriented as it’s an open

source where applications, data encryption and no vendor dependency. Thus the future of

communication system is more of imagination oriented dependent upon user.

(Few latest military specifications android based tablets are attached as Annexures A, B & C)

Documents

Integration of Wireless Communication Modules With Military Vehicles