ABSTRACT The Operational Test Command’s BCNIS program will provide realistic situational awareness (SA) and command and control (C2) tactical environment to support operational testing, without the costs and constraints of deploying a large number of physical units in the field. In order to fulfill the requirements for large scale testing of emerging communication technology with the constraint of limited availability of physical radio units, BCNIS is looking to leverage the concept of Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) test environments. This central idea of LVC involves connecting units that exist in a constructive simulation model with live and virtual lab based units to form a “hybrid” large scale network, which now can be employed for the large scale operational tests of the communication technology. Along with ‘at operational scale’ testing, LVC also allows configuration of ‘hard to setup and test’ scenarios such as urban combat scenarios: the constructive domain can be employed to simulate the urban areas and complex network layout in which the constructive units operate, while the live domain setup can be compatible with the constraints of the physical environment of the test range. This paper describes the use hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) capability to support the use of emulated JTRS radio models in a larger scale Operational Test of GMR radios. In addition to representing some portions of the Network Under Test (NUT), the LVC representations will also be used to represent a variety of battle command system simulations and network loading tools to create the appropriate voice, video (or imagery), and tactical message loads on networks.

I. INTRODUCTION As net-centricity becomes a cornerstone of US military operations, the DoD is initiating a growing number of acquisition programs with significant elements of net-centricity. In turn, as emerging next generation military communication technology moves beyond design and closer towards full-scale deployment, the role of Test & Evaluation

(T&E) becomes critical in ascertaining the deployment readiness of the emerging technology. The DoD T&E organizations have developed a comprehensive series of test events to determine such readiness. These events typically involve experiments where the communication technology to be tested is networked and the network used in operationally relevant maneuvers, in order to ultimately assess the readiness of the technology for operational purposes. However, it is often the case with test of next-generation communication systems, that the test officer does not have access to the number of physical units that would ideally be needed for a comprehensive operational evaluation. In particular, this certainly limits the ability to conduct large scale tests with hundreds of physical radio units, which may in turn limit the degree to which Critical Operational Issues (COI) like interoperability, performance, and survivability may be addressed in a particular test event. In order to fulfill the requirements for ‘at operational scale’ and of large scale testing of communication technology, the T&E community aims to leverage the concept of Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) test environments: connect units that exist in a constructive simulation or virtual model with live units deployed on the test range to form a “hybrid” large scale network, with the appropriate application mix deployed in an end-end operationally relevant manner across the hybrid network. Along with ‘at operational scale’ testing, LVC also allows configuration of ‘hard to setup and test’ scenarios such as urban combat scenarios: the constructive domain can be employed to simulate the urban areas and complex network layout in which the constructive units operate, while the live domain setup can be compatible with the constraints of the physical environment of the test range. The Battle Command Network Integration and Simulation (BCNIS) project aims to leverage LVC technology to ensure that the COIs can be assessed in a realistic environment in the Initial Operational Test (IOT) stage. The BCNIS project will provide realistic network loading, situational awareness (SA), and command and control (C2) tactical environment to support operational testing, without the costs and constraints of deploying a large number of physical units in the field. OTC will leverage LVC representations of the Network Under Test (NUT) and a variety of battle command system

Use of Live Virtual & Constructive (LVC) Technology for Large Scale Operational Tests of Net-Centric Systems

Michael DiGennaro Operational Test Command, FT. Hood TX

Oral Walker

PEO-I Modeling and Simulation Office, Washington DC

Sheetalkumar Doshi Scalable Network Technologies, Los Angeles CA

Bradley Bressler Scalable Network Technologies, Los Angeles CA

Rajive Bagrodia Scalable Network Technologies, Los Angeles CA

simulations and network loading tools to create the appropriate voice, video (or imagery), and tactical message loads on networks. It will thus be able to provide the means to stress the tactical network and provide appropriate battle command traffic integrated into the reduced live play to represent the at scale combat unit and its adjacent and higher units. Additionally, the ability to interface live applications with virtual or constructive networks will also allow for at scale testing of emerging net-centric applications including to JTRS Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) Network Manager (JWNM) or the Enterprise Network Manager (JENM) or even Joint Command and Control applications. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: in the next section we provide an architectural overview of the BCNIS capability together with short descriptions of the primary components. The focus of this article is not on fully describing BCNIS; rather it is to showcase its use of LVC technology as it applies in effectively scale up the network under test (NUT). As such, it also describes the JTRS Network Emulator (JNE) that is being developed for this purpose. Section 3 describes a case study in the application of BCNIS for operational test of the Ground Mobile Radio (GMR). Section 4 is the conclusion.

II. BCNIS ARCHITECTURE

Figure 1: BCNIS LVC Network Integration Solution

The top level conceptual view of the BCNIS LVC Integration (illustrated in Figure 1) consists of (a) the constructive network simulation environment that will represent the constructive radios running the high fidelity model of the emerging communication technology that will be tested, (b) constructive tactical applications which will be interfaced with the constructive communication network and (c) the live portion, which includes the live communication radios and the live versions of the tactical applications that run on them. In this section we describe how the constructive components (constructive network simulation, constructive force representation and constructive tactical applications) in the LVC concept outlined above is realized in BCNIS.

Constructive Network Simulator in BCNIS The JTRS Network Emulator (JNE) [1] is used as the constructive network simulation environment. JNE provides a real-time simulation kernel along with high fidelity military radio models from the PEO-I Communication Effects Server [2]. JNE also exposes interfaces into the constructive network such that live applications, network management software and network analysis software can be run on top of the constructive network. The constructive network in JNE can be configured to run a high fidelity model of the network technology to be tested. Currently JNE has high fidelity models of emerging military waveforms such as WNW, SRW and current force waveforms like SINCGARS and EPLRS. Desired terrain for the constructive network in JNE can be represented with high fidelity by importing in terrain information for buildings, foliage, and geography, so that realistic communication effects can be represented inside the constructive network simulation. JNE also provides the appropriate Hardware-in-the-loop interface modules to connect different types of live radios to BCNIS. In Section 3 we describe the interfaces available in JNE to connect live WNW radios to the BCNIS Testbed. A screenshot of the JNE software is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: JTRS Network Emulator (JNE)

Constructive Force Representation and Constructive Tactical Applications in BCNIS BCNIS leverages the STORM (Simulation Testing and Operations Rehearsal Model) suite of applications to provide the constructive tactical applications as well as the constructive force representation. The STORM test suite consists of a constructive force representation environment provided by OneSAF [6]. In BCNIS, OneSAF models the constructive force consisting of soldiers and vehicles while the communication network radios used by the constructive forces to communicate with each other will be modeled by the JNE environment. Thus, each constructive entity in OneSAF will be mapped to a constructive radio unit represented in JNE and the terrain information file employed by OneSAF will also be the basis of terrain representation in the scenario simulated by JNE. The mobility of radios in the JNE simulation scenario are controlled by OneSAF via signaling over a TCP/IP based socket interface between the JNE simulation process and the OneSAF process. A screenshot of OneSAF is shown in Figure

3. The C2 Adapter module of OneSAF generates tactical Situational Awareness (SA) messages in the JVMF format for the constructive tactical units. These JVMF messages are injected into the corresponding constructive radio in JNE.

Figure 3: OneSAF based constructive force representation

These messages are then sent through the constructive network, where they undergo realistic communication effects that are dependent on the network characteristics and conditions, terrain, and other wireless environment factors such as fading and interference. The screenshot of the OneSAF C2 Adapter is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: OneSAF C2 Adapter

STORM also contains the Role Player Workstation (RPWS) and surrogate FBCB2, which generate operationally relevant command and control (C2) and SA messages for the constructive forces represented in OneSAF. These serve as additional tactical message generators in BCNIS. A screenshot of RPWS is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: STORM Role Player Workstation (RPWS)

III. CASE STUDY: GMR TESTING This section describes the use of BCNIS to generate realistic traffic to stimulate a live GMR network. This capability shall be used in the Ground Mobile Radio (GMR) Test Events. We first provide an overview of the hardware-in-the-loop interfaces that are available in JNE to connect the live GMR radio network to the BCNIS Testbed, and then discuss the use case for the BCNIS Testbed in the GMR System Integration Test (SIT). HWIL interfaces to GMR Radios in JNE JNE provides interfaces with live GMR radios at Layer 3 (IP) at the red as well as black side. At the red side, the constructive network in JNE exchanges red side OSPF and PIM control messages with the GMR radio and makes the GMR radio believe that it is connected to a large scale red network on its red Ethernet interface. This red network in the constructive space could be a legacy SINCGARS/EPLRS network, a SRW network, or even a WNW network of a lower security classification.

Figure 6: Hardware-in-the-loop interface to the red side of the GMR At the black side, the constructive network in JNE, which is primarily a black WNW network, exchanges Black R-OSPF and R-PIM control messages with the black side of the GMR radio, and makes it believe that it is connected to a large-scale WNW network on its black Ethernet interface.

Figure 7: Hardware-in-the-loop interface to the black side of the GMR For the GMR SIT, BCNIS will connect to the live radio network on the red side, and realize a red side network in constructive space in order to scale up the red side of the NUT. The constructive network shall exchange operationally relevant data and control traffic (OSPF and PIM) with the live

network under test (NUT) in order to realistically stimulate and assess the live network performance. Figure 9 indicates the BCNIS testbed setup for GMR Testing in the GMR System Integration Test. Here, JNE’s hardware-in-the-loop interface connects to XPRT Solution’s GMR WNW HITL [7] machine, which provides a portal into the red side of the live GMR radios. The GMR WNW HITL allows for statistics collection on packets being transferred between the virtual and live entities. XPRT Solutions’ GMR WNW HITL is shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8: GMR WNW HITL

For the constructive network in JNE, a network of 36 constructive WNW radios is configured on a digital representation of the Ft. Huachuca terrain, where the GMR SIT event will take place. The constructive scenario is shown in Figure 11.

Figure 9: BCNIS Testbed for GMR SIT

The RPWS application is connected to one of these radios in JNE. The live Cisco 2600 Router, which connects to the GMR Red Network is represented as a “virtual node” in the constructive scenario, and the communication between the constructive WNW radio network and the actual router is done via JNE’s Layer 3 Red side interface and the GMR HITL module. All 36 constructive radios in JNE are mapped to constructive tactical units in the OneSAF scenario. The C2 Adapter generates real SA multicast traffic for the constructive units in OneSAF, which is injected into the corresponding radio in JNE. Additional C2 and SA traffic is sent from the

RPWS machine connected to the JNE constructive radio. This traffic undergoes realistic communication effects in JNE before it is injected into the live network through the GMR-HITL interface. Case Study: Operationally Realistic GMR network stimulation using BCNIS In this case study we describe how BCNIS can be used to provide operationally realistic stimulation to the live GMR network under test. Figure 10 indicates our lab setup to obtain the results of our case study. Contrasting this to the setup for GMR SIT in Figure 9, on the other side of the router would be a live radio network; however for this case study the live network is stubbed into a second RPWS system that represents a radio running a live FBCB2 application. The scenario in JNE is the same as described in the previous section. The goal for BCNIS is to accurately replicate the operational and network characteristics of a live tactical network as it performs maneuvers, and this use case serves as a proof point for this capability. The maneuver that will be replicated is moving the tactical units away from each other and getting them back together in the initial positions. In the BCNIS testbed, OneSAF is used to set up this maneuver.

Figure 10: Lab setup for case study

Figure 11: Initial Positions

Once the testbed components are started and undergo initialization, OneSAF triggers activation of the radios in JNE. The radio network exchanges control messages with the live

router, so that the radios that exist in the simulation appear in the routing table of the live router, making it believe that it is communicating with a live network of 36 radios. Once these message exchanges are completed, the C2 and SA messages generated by the constructive tactical units find routes to the live router, and are injected into the live router after being routed through the constructive radio network in JNE and undergoing realistic communication effects in the process. These messages when received by the RPWS connected to the live router, trigger the RPWS to show the constructive unit positions on the RPWS map (Figure 12).

Figure 12 : View of tactical units’ initial position (in blue) from received SA on RPWS connected to live router Once the network reaches a steady state, the tactical units in OneSAF are moved to far points of the terrain (as indicated in Figure 13). OneSAF sends mobility updates to JNE, which constantly updates the positions of the constructive radios. The C2 Adapter SA multicast messages coming into JNE from the C2 Adapter reflect these position changes, and when received by the RPWS connected to the live router, lead to updates of the unit positions on the RPWS map (Figure 14).

Figure 13: Moving out of range

Eventually, at time 2600 seconds, the network is partitioned. This leads to the constructive units’ SA messages not getting through the constructive radio network, and the map on the RPWS connected to the live router stops displaying the constructive tactical units. The units in OneSAF are then sent on a path back to the initial locations. The final position is shown in Figure 15. As units start getting closer within radio transmission range, the constructive network starts re-forming again, and eventually, the SA messages from the constructive tactical units traverse through the constructive radio network

and reach the RPWS connected to the live router. RPWS then starts displaying these units on its map (Figure 16).

Figure 14: View of moving tactical units (in blue) from received SA on RPWS connected to live router

Figure 15: Final Positions

Figure 16 : View of tactical units’ final position (in blue) from received SA on RPWS connected to live router In order to obtain a quantitative view of the network behavior during the maneuver, especially the traffic stimulation to the live router from the JNE network, we captured the traffic being exchanged between JNE and the live router, and derived graphs for control and data traffic being exchanged at the live and constructive boundary. Since the data captured is indicative of the performance of the WNW waveform, we black out the results by not explicitly indicating the units of the metrics collected. Figure 17 shows the OSPF control traffic sent from the LVC network. During the initial convergence period we notice a large spike of OSPF control traffic as expected, since the constructive radio network exchanges OSPF control information with the live router to establish routes between the constructive radio and the live router. Once the routes are established, we observe that the OSPF control overhead drops down to a low value, since no

additional message exchanges are needed. Once the tactical units are moved in OneSAF, the radio network topology changes, and as a result we observe a slight increase in OSPF control traffic to convey route changes to the live router. As the units move out of range, the control traffic reduces to zero as a result of a partitioned network. Once the units are directed to move back to their initial position, the network reformation occurs, and as a result we observe a large spike in OSPF control traffic as the constructive network starts exchanging the new routing information with the live router.

Figure 17: OSPF control traffic

Figure 18: PIM control traffic

Figure 19: C2 and SA traffic

For the multicast control packets being exchanged with the live router, we see the expected behavior (Figure 18): When the network forms initially, we see periodic PIM traffic at a constant rate being exchanged with the live router. These are the PIM hello messages that are exchanged with the router. As the network is partitioned due to the movement of the tactical units, the PIM traffic reduces to a constant lower value. Once the units start moving back to the initial positions, we again see the higher constant rate PIM traffic that is periodically being exchanged with the live router.

Finally, Figure 19 shows the data traffic that is injected into the live router by the constructive network. This traffic is the C2 and SA traffic that is generated by the constructive tactical units and multicast over the constructive JNE network. Once the network is formed, and routes exchanged with the live router, we see a steady flow of tactical message traffic going out to the live router. The C2 adapter sends SA traffic at periodic time intervals when units are stationary. Once the units start to move, the SA messages are generated more frequently, and consequently, we see an increase in tactical message traffic being injected into the live router, till a point when the network gets partitioned. At this point the tactical messages being generated by the tactical units do not make it to the router since there is no network available to route these messages to the live router. Finally, when the units are moved back to the initial position and the network re-forms, we observe a large spike of tactical messages that were queued up due to lack of routes are now successfully reaching to the live router.

IV. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK In conclusion, the LVC based solution offered by BCNIS has the ability to address the Operational Test Command’s requirement for testing radio technology in large numbers in various hard-to-setup network environments, in spite of insufficient number of live radio units available for testing. The case study clearly indicates the capability of BCNIS to provide realistic live stimulation of GMR radios. BCNIS is on track to be employed in the GMR SIT, LUT and MOT&E test events. Future work on the BCNIS components involves instrumentation of the radio models in JNE to provide detailed insights into the state of the constructive network and allow for root cause analysis of the constructive network behavior. Work is also ongoing to develop HWIL interfaces in JNE for interfacing to live SINCGARS and EPLRS networks.

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