INTEGRATED STRIKE C2 SYSTEM TEAM

Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), DSO National Laboratories (DSO), and Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)

CITATION

The Integrated Strike C2 System Team, comprising members from DSTA, DSO and the RSAF, delivered an operational Integrated Strike Command and Control (C2) System that enables the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to strike as one. The system is integrated with sensors and shooters to generate a comprehensive live situational picture and allows rapid response during target engagement. With the indigenous decision support capabilities provided by the C2 system, commanders are also better equipped to make swift and decisive actions to neutralise potential threats.

ABOUT THE INTEGRATED STRIKE C2 SYSTEM TEAM

The team comprises members from DSTA, DSO and the RSAF with areas of expertise that include master-planning and systems architecting, building and network infrastructure, cybersecurity, as well as networked advanced systems, software and systems engineering. Drawing from the RSAF’s operational experience, the DSTA in-house development team collaborated with DSO to develop indigenous decision support capabilities leveraging video geo-registration, computer vision and machine learning to enable the SAF to out-sense, out-smart and out-shoot its adversaries.

TECHNICAL INNOVATION AND OPERATIONAL IMPACT

The Integrated Strike C2 System team delivered an operational Integrated Strike C2 system which transformed how the SAF orchestrates its wide spectrum of strike operations. Acting as the nerve centre of the SAF Command Post, the system provides commanders with an integrated battlefield picture, and enables the SAF to shorten the overall sensor-to-shooter cycle – from the time target information is picked up by sensors to the neutralisation of targets. Prior to incorporating this system, information and operations were largely conducted using disparate sources. The team’s innovations include:

1. Real-time Ground Situation Picture

The Integrated Strike C2 System integrates information such as landmarks into live unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) video feeds to provide real-time updates of the ground situation picture. The integrated display reduces the cognitive load of operators, and allows them to quickly orientate to the latest ground situation picture to make timely decisions.

Video analytics technology is also applied to the UAV live feeds to derive target locations onto the integrated display, further shortening the overall decision-making process and enabling operators to better keep track of multiple targets.

2. Enhanced Decision Making

The team introduced various sense-making tools to help commanders make mission-critical decisions. For example, a special dashboard was created to aggregate information, such as the number of available or functional assets and bases.

Furthermore, commanders can make more accurate and rapid assessment of the extent of battle damage with the addition of new video analytics technology. In the past, operators had to manually analyse UAV video images to determine target information. The team thus harnessed video content analytics and machine learning to facilitate rapid damage assessment by commanders and increase the capacity for more missions to be conducted.

3. Modular and Scalable Architecture for Quicker Deployment

The Integrated Strike C2 System was designed to be reconfigurable and scalable. New components supporting various exercise entities, such as sense-making tools for commanders and simulation components that allow exercise personnel to validate their operational processes, can be integrated into the existing system architecture, allowing the SAF to undertake more complex exercise scenarios.

The set-up time for the C2 system was also reduced from weeks to just days with server virtualisation technology that replaces bulky physical servers with virtual ones that optimise the use of space and computing resources. Having a smaller system server footprint also reduces power, cooling and space requirements, saving significant costs and resources in the process.

PROFILE OF TEAM LEADER