magazine dynamics issue 8

Issue 8 Summer 2009

Trusted to deliver

UORs – respondingto users' needs page 6

www.generaldynamics.uk.com

8The EDGE™ UKlinks supplierswith users

12The fast routeto enablednetworks

14

SuccessfulC4I exports


Welcome

© Copyright August 2009 General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited

The information contained in this publication is supplied byGeneral Dynamics UK Limited (General Dynamics UK) as acomplimentary reporting service to its customers and staff. Itdoes not form part of any contract for the purchase of anyproduct or service described in the document. AlthoughGeneral Dynamics UK makes every effort to verify theaccuracy of the information contained in this publication, theCompany accepts no responsibility for any defect or error inthis publication, or in the information supplied; nor shallGeneral Dynamics UK be liable for any damage or loss causedas a result of reliance upon such information.

Printed on paper which contains at least 75%recycled fibre.

Contents03 News

06 Rapid response

08 The missing link

11 A matter of priority

12 Combined data

14 Leading edge

The most important goal for any defence industry organisation isto give the users – the warfighters and decision makers – theequipment they need to do their jobs effectively and safely.

On page six, you can read how General Dynamics UK is bringing to bear its considerable capabilities to fulfil UrgentOperational Requirements (UORs) that help provide the MoDwith the right kit at the right time. Our work on the latest Jackalvehicle with NP Aerospace highlights the benefits of effectivecollaboration between project partners and the need for efficientprogramme management.

In addition, the EDGE™ UK facility (page eight) is playing a keyrole in connecting those organisations – especially SMEs – withvaluable technology to offer to the defence programmes that canbest make use of it.

We also look at NIMCIS (page 14), the two-year programme toequip the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps with a tactical C4Isystem based on Bowman. As this programme comes to asuccessful conclusion, we examine what this says about GeneralDynamics UK’s expertise in this important domain and theopportunities this presents for exports.

And we show how the NetLink system (page 12) – whichrecently completed some highly successful trials – provides a fastand easy route to network-enabled platforms.

President and Managing DirectorGeneral Dynamics United Kingdom Limited

Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Corporate Affairs:Mark Douglas

Writer: Steve Mansfield-Devine

Editorial Manager: Amanda Jackson

Design: SPY Design and Publishing Ltd. www.spydesign.co.uk

Contributors:Brian Allen

Jon Anderson

Phil Carpenter

Jeremy Creasey

Greg Dean

Paul Hallifax

Dave Jarrett

Al Slater

Trusted to deliver

Summer 2009 Issue 8 3

Dynamics News> Latest delivery for Future Lynx

General Dynamics UK has delivered the firstsample of its Tactical Processor for the FutureLynx programme — right on time. AgustaWestlandwill now carry out qualification testing on the unitwhich is a key element of the aircraft’s platformarchitecture.

The Tactical Processor provides Human-Machine Interface(HMI) capabilities via four cockpit displays. Its capabilitiesinclude: digital mapping; video processing; and data, voiceand video recording.

The unit is an entirely UK-originated system having grownout of General Dynamics UK’s R&D activity. It offers a highdegree of commonality across both variants of the FutureLynx – the British Army's Battlefield ReconnaissanceHelicopter (BRH) and the Royal Navy's Surface CombatantMaritime Rotorcraft (SCMR).

The open systems solution incorporates an Allied StandardAvionics Architecture Council (ASAAC) compliant software

stack which means that AgustWestland’s softwarewill be unaffected by future hardware upgrades.

The system has been developed in close partnership withAgustaWestland, with the two companies sharing risk andcollaborating closely on every stage of the design.

Danny Milligan, vice president, Mission & SecuritySystems, General Dynamics UK commented: "Working inpartnership with AgustaWestland and the Lynx IPT wehave been able to make a number of HMI improvementsto the design of the Tactical Processor and reduce itsoverall weight. The General Dynamics UK Developmentand Manufacture programme for the Future Lynxprogramme will continue until 2015, which further cements our relationship with AgustaWestland."

In addition to the Tactical Processor, General DynamicsUK is also supplying the Stores Management System(SMS) and a security enhanced data transfer device forthe Future Lynx programme.


4 Summer 2009 Issue 8

Dynamics News> Securing critical national infrastructures

Following the recent integration of Page Europa,General Dynamics UK has now become a globalleader in securing critical national infrastructures.

For more than 50 years, Page Europa has successfullyimplemented some of the most complex and advancedsecurity and critical infrastructure projects in the world,such as Dubai World Central. Private, industrial and publicsector clients include NATO and major oil and gascompanies such as ExxonMobil, Shell and BP.

Page Europa’s capabilities include: real-time intrusiondetection and assessment systems; sensing technology forintelligent intrusion and approach detection; perimeter andfence defence systems; anti-intrusion ground-based radar;digital CCTV and monitoring systems; Access ControlSystems (ACS); screening portals and machines for people,baggage, vehicles and containers; personnel RFID andbiometric recognition systems; plus a wide range of othersurveillance, communications and safety systems design toprotect individual buildings or wider areas.

Academics, scientists, experts and business leadersgathered in May at the Defence Academy nearShrivenham to discuss and demonstrate the technology of the future at the final annual conference of the DefenceTechnology Centre in Data and Information Fusion (DIFDTC), a £60 million partnership led by General DynamicsUK for the MoD.

DIF DTC’s partners, which include Cardiff University, BT,QinetiQ, Waterfall Solutions, and eight other universities,presented their year’s work to academics, students, andrepresentatives of industry and the MOD. The Centre’s three-year Phase II contract has allowed the team to develop keytechnologies and explore how these can be used in militaryand national security solutions.

A number of technologies are already being exploited in MoDprogrammes and the civil sector, or have been tested andevaluated in Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstrations(CWID) and at the Counter-Terrorism Centre. Others willprovide valuable input for new MoD programmes such asPersistent Wide Area Surveillance (PWAS) High Impact RapidImplementation Demonstrator (HIRID).

> Technology of the futureThe British Army has endorsed a timetable to field thelatest increment of Bowman tactical communicationsand data system to its troops.

Bowman’s secure radio communications, have been usedon operations since 2005, together with a basic datacapability. The Bowman system has been developed andintegrated by General Dynamics UK into over 13,000British Army vehicles, together with headquarters, ships,and helicopters and the Ministry of Defence is purchasingan additional 3,400 radios in order to meet the demandsof current operations and their associated training needs.

The latest planned upgrade, known as BCIP5, is simplerfor troops to use, and provides enhanced battle planning

tools, a more stable and robust tacticalinternet, and improved situationalawareness. BCIP5 will be fielded as asoftware and hardware upgrade acrossthe Army’s vehicle and man-portableradio fleets. BCIP5 is already rolling outto Royal Navy ships, the Royal Marines,the RAF Regiment and specialist Armysignals units.

Page Europa's security solutions are deployed widely in the oil and gas industry

> Army endorses Bowman upgrade

The International DefenceExhibition (IDEX) in Abu Dhabigave General Dynamics UK anopportunity to show itsstrengths in systems integrationcapabilities, scalable C4I openelectronic architectures, UrbanISTAR, C2 ISTAR, containerisedsolutions and security andresilience solutions.

The Gulf Regionrepresents amajor exportopportunity forGeneral DynamicsUK. Some 14high-leveldelegationsvisited theGeneral DynamicsUK display, mostlyrepresentinggovernments butalso potential localpartners. Amongthe visitors was His Highness SheikMohamed Bin Zaid (pictured),Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi andDeputy Supreme Commander ofUAE Armed Forces.

> Middle Eastshowcase

> Exercises demonstrate Bowman strengthsThe Rhino Staff 2 and 3 exerciseswere held in Germany recently togather data in support of theBowman ComBAT Infrastructure andPlatform BISA (BCIP) programme.And they were a great success.

Managed by the Command andControl Development Centre, theexercise provided HQ 1(UK) with the

opportunity to test the BCIP CapabilityRelease 1.5 on a range of hardware.Some 96 terminals were deployed,used by 106 military personnel.

BCIP’s current and future capabilitieswere highly praised, with BCIP5 seenas a system that can be exploited togreat effect. It was also applauded forits reliability and performance.

The importance of SMEs, both to UK businessgenerally and General Dynamics UK in particular,was reflected in the choice of the EDGE™ UK facility(see page eight) for this year’s CBIWales SME forum.

The forum brought together 25 small business leaders,Cardiff University economics professor Dylan Jones-

Evans, Bank of England representative Adrian Piper,and senior officials from the Welsh Assembly.

In addition to discussing current events, includingthe financial crisis and its effect on business, theattendees were also able to learn more abouthow General Dynamics UK is engaging withSMEs — particularly through EDGE™ UK and theCompany’s supply chain teams.

The EDGE™ UK facility continues to receive animpressive list of visitors. In October it was theturn of Dr Alan Pratt, Director of the Home OfficeScientific Development Branch (HOSDB), along

with senior HOSDB staff members, and officers from the South Wales andGwent Police.

The visitors were briefed on General Dynamics UK’s capabilities, and theirviews were sought on how best to support the Home Office with variousprojects, including policing. The day included presentations on CBRN,Masthead, Advanced Multi-Dimensional Fusion, Osiris, and BLaDE, as well aslive Battlefield Shared Understanding (BSU), Tactical Situational Awareness(TacSA), and Hornet demonstrations in a site security scenario. The guestsprovided valuable feedback and identified several areas for follow-up.

The EDGE™ also played host recently to the Wales council of the CBI. Thecouncil held one of its regular meetings at the facility, to discuss responses tothe economic situation, and was then treated to a tour.

Trusted to deliver


EDGE™ UK hosts SME summit

Top: The CBIWales forum broughttogether small businesses, academicsand government representatives

Above: Dr Sandy Wilson, GeneralDynamics UK (left) welcomes MajGen Simon Mayall, Assistant Chief ofthe General Staff

Above: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at IDEX.

Dynamics News



Rapid responseSupporting the armed forces means giving them theequipment they need when they need it. And that’s whatGeneral Dynamics UK is helping to achieve with itsresponse to Urgent Operational Requirement (UORs)

Standard procurementprocesses are not alwaysflexible or fast enough, sothis work is sometimescarried out as part of anUrgent OperationalRequirement (UOR).

Fulfilling these contracts calls forsuppliers that are adaptable andflexible, with high levels of domainexperience, and which are able toundertake complex integrationactivity in the time available to theperformance levels required. In thisenvironment, there is no substitutefor experience, and GeneralDynamics UK, with over 13,000vehicle conversions, has this inabundance.

Experience and expertiseGeneral Dynamics UK hasconsiderable expertise in installingsystems to complex communicationsplatforms, stemming from theBowman programme, where morethan 13,000 platforms have beenconverted so far. This work comprisesmore than 100 different vehicle ‘types’incorporating 700 communication rolefits of varying complexity. GeneralDynamics UK understands the issuessurrounding that process, such asrouting cables, ElectromagneticCompatibility (EMC), antenna siting,optimising space and volumeconstraints — all of which are criticalto the performance of the platformand the soldiers working in it.

“As a result of this work, ourexpertise has grown considerably,”

says Paul Hallifax, programmemanager at General Dynamics UK,“and we’ve learned some valuable and vital lessons.”

One of these is to conduct a survey of the vehicles before workstarts, because of the variation in thebuild standard. This is true of allvehicles, but especially of older oneswhere upgrades, field modificationsand damage mean that no twovehicles are exactly the same. The General Dynamics UK teams haslearned to be flexible and creative —for example, by developing adaptablemountings — so that the vehicledoes not have to be sent back to the prime contractor, and thereforeminimising time and logistics.

More recently, General Dynamics UKhas invested in developing new, moreflexible, open architecture installationdesigns for both the electronics andphysical platform. This work is aimedat providing true ‘through life’management of platforms so theirmission/role fit can be easilyreconfigured in theatre without, inmany cases, the need to returnplatforms for bespoke system re-fit.This work has been undertaken inconjunction with the Ministry ofDefence-led Force Protection &Mission System Working Group, withsignificant success.

Working in partnershipGood examples of this are GeneralDynamics UK’s Bowman work on the British Army’s Mobility Weapon -Mounted Installation Kit (M-WMIK)vehicle, often referred to as the Jackal, and the work that General

Dynamics UK is undertaking forIntegrated Survivability TechnologiesLimited (IST Ltd) on the WolfhoundTactical Support Vehicle. On the newervehicles, General Dynamics UK hascollaborated with the manufacturersby advising what kind of fixings orpreparations will be required to helpspeed up the Bowman installation.Indeed, an important and unusualaspect of General Dynamics UK’sUOR work on the Wolfhound andJackal platforms is the degree towhich it supports the work of otherpartners. For Wolfhound, GeneralDynamics UK employees regularlyvisit the prime contractor’s facility, insystems architect advisory roles,offering their knowledge and supportprior to the vehicles being takenthrough installation and inspection.

Within the systems architect role,General Dynamics UK has undertakena number of key activities for theprime contractor. This includes a fullreview of the mission fit systemantenna characteristics of theWolfhound TSV(H) platform at General

UORs are about getting kit to the people who need it

Delivering Operational Excellence

Dynamics UK's Pershore facility,where results were fed back into theplatform design to ensure optimisedperformance. Antenna systemsmodelling supported the physicaltrials, resulting in further designconfidence and providing valuableperformance data to inform possible future vehicle design optimisation.

From previous lessons learnedthrough experience, GeneralDynamics UK has providedrecommendations to the completemission fit on equipment locations,cable runs, rack design etc. This hasresulted in the early design capture ofpotential issues.

General Dynamics UK has undertakenfull power management studiesanalysis of the mission fit equipmentto ensure that the base platformelectrics and other power sources areof a satisfactory standard for missionsystem use in the field.

The company has also supported thisactivity with its knowledge of thesupply chain for critical componentssuch as cables, ensuring 'design-right-first-time' and supply efficiencies. Thisenabled the rapid turn-round of thefirst type platforms.

When vehicles arrive at GeneralDynamics UK’s Ashchurch site for theBowman installation and aninspection before entering intoservice, as many as five othercontractors — including vehiclemanufacturer Babcock and armourspecialists, Jankel — are givenaccess to the Ashchurch facilities.General Dynamics UK ensures theyhave a secure environment as well asall the facilities they need to carry out their work as fast and efficiently as possible.

The fact that this works so smoothly isdue to General Dynamics UK’s expertcoordination and project managementskills. To understand this, let’s look athow the process works.

Jackal timelineBefore the vehicles arrive, explainsBrian Allen, conversion manager atGeneral Dynamics UK, a considerableamount of preparation, such asbuilding installation racks, repairingwiring and so on, is already

completed. Effectively, GeneralDynamics UK has ready-to-install kitswaiting on the shelf. Much of theequipment — including the radiosthemselves, switchboxes and DCCharging Units — is fromgovernment furnished stock, soGeneral Dynamics UK works hand-in-hand with the depot to ensure theitems arrive in time. Other items mayhave delivery lead times of anythingup to six months, so GeneralDynamics UK has a critical role toplay in ensuring a smooth workflow.The company also liaises with theother contractors, so that they knowwhen they need to be at Ashchurch.

When a Jackal arrives, the MoD carries out a preliminaryinspection to make sure the vehicle itself is acceptable. ThenGeneral Dynamics UK makes its own

inspection to check that it is ready totake the Bowman installation.

Once completed, General DynamicsUK carries out a workmanship qualityinspection before the rigorousConversion Acceptance Test thatensures all the Bowman systemswork. Other teams carry out their owntests and the vehicle is handed back.Typically, this whole process takes twoworking days — a Jackal that arrivesone morning will be handed back theevening of the next day.

Integrated processThis smooth process has the requiredeffect — delivering equipment tothose who need it when they need it.

“A lot of our people are ex-militaryand they understand the need to get that equipment into the hands of the user,” says Allen. “That ethospervades the production element of Ashchurch.”

But it isn’t just about today’s needs. General Dynamics UK’scapabilities are based on anIntegrated,whole systems approach to platformarchitecture, that is such a critical partof modern military platforms,including the co-existence of andprovision for data and powermanagement (the electronicarchitecture). What General DynamicsUK offers is the ability to design andinstall these capabilities as a singleentity. Experience, like that on theJackal and Wolfhound, and severalintensive years of Bowmaninstallation, plays an important part indeveloping this capability for theplatforms of the future, includingthose delivered on a UOR basis.

“ A lot of our peopleare ex-military andthey understand theneed to get thatequipment into thehands of the user”

Prepared kits make installation faster


This is why the EDGE™ UK facility inNewbridge was created by GeneralDynamics UK. This advanced facility,with its focus on supporting the nextgeneration of C4I systems, isdesigned to provide the link fromMoD programmes and the needs ofthe military to those suppliers —predominantly, though notexclusively, SMEs — who haverelevant offerings.

The EDGE™ UK is now fullyfunctioning and has already seen thecompletion of valuable projects. Andit has signed up its first three industrymembers. But what exactly does it do for both the military customerand the organisations who become members?


The missing linkUK industry is full of people with good ideasand innovative technology. The EDGE™ UKfacility was created to take the best and mostuseful of these innovations and link them withthe defence customers who need them.


Organisations of all sizesacross the UK have ideas andtechnologies that could meetthe needs of military usersboth today and in the future.But there has always been aproblem in matching up therequirements identified bymilitary stakeholders andthe innovative companies —especially the smaller ones — who might hold the solutions.

Dr Andrew Tyler, chief operating officer ofDefence Equipment & Support (right) tries outthe facilities as Dr Sandy Wilson, president andMD of General Dynamics UK, watches

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Innovation“The MoD has launched a number ofexcellent initiatives to fosterinnovation in the industrial sector,”says Greg Dean, programme managerat EDGE™ UK. “For example, theGrand Challenge, and the Centre forDefence Enterprise help support anddevelop the innovations that the MoDneeds in the long term.”

The problem, says Dean, is that whileinteresting and valuable ideas andtechnologies might be identified thisway, linking them to actual programmesand contracts is more difficult.

“There’s a gap between coming upwith a technology and developing it ona fieldable baseline. It needs to bedeveloped towards something real sothat it can be integrated with what elseis out there.”

Leading the recent opening ceremonyat EDGE™ UK, Andrew Tyler, chiefoperating officer of the MoD’sDefence Equipment & Support (DE&S)organisation, said: “In procuring thebest kit for the armed forces, it is vitalfor us to stay at the cutting edge oftechnology. To do this, we mustdevelop the physical and virtualinfrastructure that will enable thedefence community to work moreclosely with small niche businesses,academia and the major defencecompanies. EDGE™ UK is an excellentinitiative with great promise.”

Capability watchThe facility opens that keyexploitation route for suppliers of allkinds. It actively seeks out capabilitygaps, through General DynamicsUK’s current work and extendedcontacts throughout the defence andsecurity community. At the sametime, the EDGE™ UK engineersmaintain a ‘capability watch’ onindustry to identify relevanttechnologies. And any organisationcan approach the EDGE™ UK if itthinks it has a worthwhile product.

What follows is an honest appraisalwith General Dynamics UK’s skilledengineers to decide if the technologyis relevant and workable in thecontext of the military’s systems.This is where General Dynamics UK’ssystems integration skills areimportant, because the technologyhas to be able to integrate withexisting and future systems. If theresult is positive, a simple NDA iscreated to foster the right, openworking relationship in which theideas can be explored further.

Immediately, the supplier organisationwill see some benefits. ThroughGeneral Dynamics UK’s close contactswith defence customers and users, thesupplier gets access to crucial people— users, IPTs and decision makers.The EDGE™ UK provides a secureenvironment in which to carry out

EDGE™ UK Members

The first three members ofEDGE™ UK are:

EchoStormEchoStorm has expertise in videoand electronic sensor datamanagement. Building on provensuccess in military operationssince 2005, its technologycollects, processes anddisseminates motion imageryfrom a wide range of sourcesincluding CCTV, unmannedplatforms, manned aircraft, roadvehicles and broadcast TV.For more information go to:www.echostorm.net

PatapscoPatapsco is a 20 year old UKcompany which designs,manufactures and markets thePacketBand ranges of ISDN andTDM over IP units, the Liberatorrange of ISDN converters andother datacom products. Thecompany has extensiveexperience with different types ofnetworks including satellite,wireless, radio, 3G and terrestrial(including Internet).For more information go to:www.patapsco.co.uk

Rockwell CollinsRockwell Collins (UK) providescommunications and aviationelectronic solutions for commercialand government customers. Itoffers communications, navigation,data link and integrated systemssolutions, together with anextensive service and supportcapability.For more information, go to:www.rockwellcollins.com

The facility is host to numerous presentations tomilitary, government and industry visitors

cont. overleaf



workshops and demonstrations withpeople who can give invaluablefeedback.

What’s more, it’s all in a realisticcontext. The facility does not usesimulation to create some abstractenvironment: it uses an actualBowman installation, available acrossfour main member labs and onevehicle-based lab, so that supplierscan plug in their technology andprove that it works.

Membership“If we think there’s a genuineexploitation route, we start talkingabout a membership agreement,”says Dean. Membership is free,though it obliges all parties tocommit certain resources. Theagreement also protects IntellectualProperty for all concerned.

There are numerous benefits tomembership (see box), but perhapsthe most important is the insight thatGeneral Dynamics UK can providewhen it comes to MoD programmesand contracts.

That’s important because the EDGE™UK is not just about working withcompanies already in the defencesector. There are many commercialorganisations operating in areas suchas communications or video who havetechnologies and ideas that couldbenefit defence programmes,especially in the tactical C4I field. Butthey don’t always have the necessaryunderstanding of defence markets —for example, the peculiarities ofprocurement processes, and issuessuch as ITAR and export compliance.As an experienced prime contractorand systems integrator in this field,General Dynamics UK is able to shareits considerable domain knowledge,and offer guidance to EDGE™ UKmembers.

The way forwardIt’s clearly the right way forward.Even before its opening, EDGE™ UKattracted an impressive array ofvisitors — not just from the UK’sdefence and security organisations,but also representatives from as faraway as Malaysia. It was also thehost for the CBI Wales SME forum.General Dynamics used it for its JointInternal Research and Development(JIRAD) demonstration in November2008, bringing together teams fromthe Company’s operations across theUK, US and Canada. But mostimportant, serious project work hasalready taken place.

EchoStorm is one of the first threemembers (see box) and hascompleted a project that involvesusing video over Bowman. This US-based company is a fairly newentrant in the UK defence market

and is using EDGE™ UK as part ofits efforts to understand thiscountry’s specific challenges and needs.

“Various formats forexperimentation forthe military havebeen tried to bridgethe gap betweenadvanced technologyconcepts and

operational capability,” says RichardCampbell of EchoStorm. “Theapproach taken through the EDGE™UK facility appealed to EchoStorm asit appears to learn from previousexperience and offers a practical wayof bringing all interested partiestogether in a task oriented manner.”

With both suppliers and customersable to interact in a secure, realisticand productive environment, EDGE™UK is helping to ensure that the righttechnology gets to the right people.

EDGE™ UK Supporters

Supporters of the EDGE™ UKfacility include:

• Bruhn Newtech• Dytecna Systems Engineering• FLIR• Thales• ITT• Lockheed Martin• Network Equipment Technologies• Northrop Grumman• Plextek• Ultralife• Selex Communications

Member benefits

Companies that sign up asmembers of the EDGE™ UKbenefit in some very significantways, including:

• High visibility — both from abranding perspective, and also indirect interaction with customerstakeholders.

• Use of the EDGE™ UK tacticalC4I laboratories and Bowmanequipment.

• Access to General Dynamics UKsubject matter experts.

• The potential for participation inintegration exercises withGeneral Dynamics UK

• Invitation to R&D networkingevents.

• Marketing and businessdevelopment support for specificprojects.

• Insights into future programmesrelevant to specific projects.

• Where appropriate, advice on thedefence marketplace and routesto market.

“ If we think there’s a genuineexploitation route,we start talkingabout a membershipagreement”

The vehicle lab is checked out by (l-r) Andrew Browne,General Dynamics UK; Cdre Jay Hart, DE&S; Dr AndrewTyler, DE&S and Dr Sandy Wilson, General Dynamics UK

Dr Andrew Tyler, DE&S (right) with Dr Sandy Wilson,General Dynamics UK, at the official opening

Understanding user requirements isalways a key part of this — knowingwhat the customer needs and howbest to deliver it. The DynamicSystems Development Methodology(DSDM) has emerged as a key wayof achieving this. It is an agile projectdelivery framework, focused onpromoting greater responsiveness tochange than traditional methods.

A matter of priorityDefence programmes are often runaccording to challenging schedules,especially those in response toUrgent Operational Requirements(UORs). Prioritising is an importanttool in ensuring that programmes arerun realistically, with achievablegoals, while minimising delays.

DSDM embraces the MoSCoWconcept (see box) for prioritisation.

This flexible approach torequirements management ensuresthat deadlines are met usingtechniques such as ‘timeboxing’.Collaboration is also a key tenet ofDSDM, ensuring that the projectteam and stakeholders have a sharedunderstanding and ownership of theproject throughout its lifecycle.

DSDM also enables the more rapiddelivery of partial capability, anddelivers solutions that are responsiveto customer and stakeholder needsat every stage of the project. So it isparticularly appropriate forassessment phase and researchprogrammes, where project fundingand duration are usually fixed butrequirements are often flexible andevolve as the solution is developed.This demands a close workingrelationship between customers,suppliers and users, all acting asmembers of one integratedprogramme management team.

General Dynamics UK has deployedcore elements of DSDM for sometime, and has now formally adoptedthe methodology in its QualityManagement System. The Companyuses DSDM on internal research and

development projects and is lookingto apply it in support of the MoD’sCombat ID Technolgy DemonstrationProgramme and Joint Data NetworksBackbone programme.

Ultimately, DSDM helps ensure thatboth customer and supplier have aclear, shared vision of what isneeded and when, so that the rightdecisions are made.

Trusted to deliver


A matter of priorityAdvanced development methodologies now offer the agility needed in today’s defence acquisition environment. Dynamics Systems Development Methodology in particular offers significant advantages.

The UK defence procurementorganisation, DE&S, and thesuppliers that work withthem, are constantly seekingmore agile ways of working.This agility means thatimprovements can beintroduced incrementally, asand when they are neededrather than waiting monthsor years for major changes.The result is better controlover schedules and costs,and earlier capability delivery.

MoSCoW rules

MoSCoW is a key concept in DSDM.It stands for Must have, Should have,Could have,Won’t have:

M – MUST have: all items must beincluded in the deliverable. If one ismissing, the project has failed.

S – SHOULD have if at all possible:almost as important as ‘Must’items, but there may beworkarounds if they can’t beincluded.

C – COULD have: these ‘nice tohave’ items should not impact theproject (in terms of cost orschedule) but if they can beincluded they can significantlyimprove customer satisfaction.

W – WON’T have this time, butwould like it in the future. Theseitems are not planned into theschedule but will be considered infuture project iterations.

-----This is not a hypothetical scenario:it was a real-life and highly successfuldemonstration of NetLink’scapabilities. Developed by GeneralDynamics UK, this system is helpingto realise the vision of NetworkEnabled Capability (NEC). During a trialat RAF Waddington, a GeneralDynamics UK NetLink gateway on theground translated Helicopter AssetTracking System (HeATS) data to



Combined dataThe General Dynamics UK NetLinkgateway provides fast, reliabletranslation between tactical networksthat previously couldn’t share data.

Now commanders and warfighters can have access to a unified picture of the battlespace

Somewhere over England, an E-3D Sentry AWACS aircraftreceives signals indicating thereal-time positions of militaryhelicopters. But the operatoraboard the aircraft is seated at aBowman terminal whichnormally couldn’t use this data— because it’s from a differentnetwork. Fortunately, bothground station and aircraft arefitted with General DynamicsUK NetLink gateways thatconvert the data, rapidly andreliably, between the once-incompatible formats. Lookingat just one screen, the operatorhas access to all informationabout the tactical situation,below, as it is unfolding.

The General Dynamics UK NetLink gatewayintegrates data from many sources onto one display

Variable Message Format (VMF). Thiswas transmitted to the E-3D Sentryaircraft which was equipped with itsown NetLink gateway. This convertedthe data into the Bowman ComBATInfrastructure and Platform (BCIP5)format and displayed it using theCommon Battlefield Application Toolset(ComBAT) on a standard Barco display.Bowman positional messages andfreetext messages were then

exchanged between the E-3D Sentryand the ground station over aBowman UHF High Capacity DataRadio (HCDR) network.

The trial — during which the E-3Dbecame the fastest platform toparticipate in a Bowman network —was significant in the way it used live,rather than ‘canned’ or speciallyprepared, data. It clearly demonstratedthe speed and flexibility of the GeneralDynamics UK NetLink concept. Thedemonstration was supported by theMinistry of Defence (MoD), theDefence Science and TechnologyLaboratory (Dstl), the E-3D SentryIntegrated Project Team and the E-3DSentry Operational Evaluation Unit.And it followed on from previoussuccessful demonstrations of thesystem at the Coalition WarriorInteroperability Demonstrator (CWID)events in 2007 and 2008.

Unified pictureToday’s battlespace is already a highlynetworked environment. But eachnetwork — whether it’s Bowman, Link16, HeATS, the Variable MessageFormat (VMF) or one of many others incurrent use — uses its own protocolsand formats, developed to meet thespecific needs of each system and ishighly effective in that context. But theinability to talk to other systems meansthat the picture each presents is onlypartial. A commander, for example,

might end up staring at severaldisplays, each showing the samebattlespace but with one showing thepositions of helicopters, anothershowing ground troops, anothershowing fast jets and so on.

The General Dynamics UK NetLinkmulti-link gateway has the capabilityto translate and forward data fromone system to another. This meansthat a terminal designed to handlejust one type of data can actuallydisplay information from previouslyincompatible systems.

Independent formatNetLink grew out of General DynamicsUK’s work on the Tactical InformationExchange Capability (TIEC) system forthe Harrier GR9 and Tornado GR4. TIECcan take data from a Link 16 terminaland/or a data modem to do things likeupload information from ground forces.At the heart of the TIEC solution is theLink Independent Format (LIF) — aproprietary data format developed byGeneral Dynamics UK. All incomingsignals are converted to LIF and thenconverted again into the requiredoutgoing format.

The advantage of this approach is thatany new external format requires thecreation of just a single translator toexchange data with all the othercurrently supported systems. So far,General Dynamics UK hasconcentrated on supporting NATOformats, because those are the onesused by the UK’s armed forces. ButNetLink can easily adapt to others.

In this way, NetLink protects currentinvestments — effectively extendingtheir useful life — by integrating theminto the unified picture. It can also adaptto any future developments, includingmoves towards increasing inter-operability between coalition forces.

Open systemsWhile it will typically be delivered onGeneral Dynamics UK’s missioncomputing hardware, NetLink is asoftware system and, as such, canbe implemented on any hardwarerunning a suitable secure operatingsystem. This open systemsarchitecture means that customerscan choose the right hardware tomeet their specific requirements.

That’s important because differentsituations will require gatewaycapabilities to be made available indifferent ways. With NetLink, thegateway might be on an aircraft, aship, a UAV, a vehicle — anywherewhere it can achieve the bestconnectivity. There is also thepotential to use multiple gateways.

Proven capabilitiesWith its capabilities already soconvincingly proven, GeneralDynamics UK NetLink now offerscustomers a fast and non-disruptivepath to true enabled networks.Because it acts as a gateway, anddoesn’t require modification ofexisting systems, customers canimplement the system quickly andincrementally — either in response toan Urgent Operational Requirement(UOR) or as part of a largerprogramme. And that means that thepath to a unified picture of thebattlespace is available right now.

The test team:Paul Freeman and Tony Malthouse(General Dynamics UK), Lt Steve Robinson (DstlTrialsOfficer), Douglas Celerier and Kelly Farley-Thompson(General Dynamics UK)

Trusted to deliver


Supported formats

General Dynamics UK NetLink canbe adapted to work with almostany format. Currently it supports:

• AFAPD (Apache)• Bowman BCIP5• HeATS/GrATS (Helicopter and

vehicle tracking) • Link 11 (RN)• Link 16• VMF

The demonstration used one GeneralDynamics UK NetLink gateway on the ground

The programme was made possibleby the extensive domain expertisecreated by General Dynamics UK.Having developed this highly advancedcommunications technology — andthe capabilities to install, support andfurther develop it — General DynamicsUK is in a strong position to exploreC4I export opportunities.

This has already borne fruit withtactical communications systems forRomania (see box). These contractsboth exploited aspects of thetechnology, skills and knowledgedeveloped as a sovereign capability inthe UK. In the case of the NewIntegrated Marines Communicationand Information System (NIMCIS) forthe RNLMC, however, the programmeutilises the full Bowman system.

In addition to providing secure voiceand data communications —

replacing a number of legacy systems— NIMCIS provides the DutchMarines with a network-enabledarchitecture for a range of C4Iapplications. It also providesinteroperability with the UK’s

Bowman system. The Dutch Marinesare part of the UK/NL AmphibiousForce, alongside 3 Commando of theRoyal Marines. Both forces arecurrently equipped with the 4f versionof Bowman and will be uplifted to thelatest BCIP5 capability in due course.

There is also greater potential forinteroperability with other allied orcoalition forces in the future.

“The Bowman system provides astate of the art, transformational voiceand data capability that will put theDutch Marines at the leading edge ofproven network-enabled battlefieldcommand and control,” says SandyWilson president and managingdirector of General Dynamics UK. “It isright and fitting that the Dutch Marineswould want the advanced capabilityBritish forces are already receiving.”

Special facilityThe €94 million contact, led by theRoyal Netherlands Navy, involved thedigitisation of around 300 platformsat a conversion facility speciallycreated for the Dutch Marines. Manyof the vehicles involved — such asBV206, Landrover, Viking and so on


Leading edgeThe successful conclusion of a C4I contract forthe Dutch Marines demonstrates how the UK hasdeveloped world-class capabilities in this domain


“ There is potentialfor interoperabilitywith other coalition forces”

The UK’s armed forces are not the only ones to reap the benefits of Bowman.The RoyalNetherlands Marine Corps (RNLMC) is also enjoying the advantages of this advancedtactical Command, Control, Communications, Computing and Intelligence (C4I) technologythanks to a two-year contract that is now coming to a successful conclusion.

Vehicles are fitted with NIMCIS at a special conversion facility

— are common to those used by UKforces. And the equipment suppliers,such as ITT, Harris, Selex, EADS andso forth, are the same. However, thiswas not simply an extension of theUK work.

Acting as prime contractor andsystems integrator, GeneralDynamics UK engaged with Dutchcompanies, including Cablescan andTecnovia, in areas such as wiring.Some of that work was alsoundertaken by the Netherlands’ NavalSupport Establishment based in DenHelder, with General Dynamics UKproviding systems engineering andprogrammatic support.

Close co-operation and collaborationwere important because RNLMCopted for a slightly differentinstallation design from the UK —one better suited to their operationalmethods.

Planning was key to achieving asmooth-running programme, and thisis where General Dynamics UK wasable to bring to bear its extensiveexperience on Bowman. This provedinvaluable in areas such asprogramme managementprocesses, procedures, systemsengineering, installation design andcertification, integrated logisticsupport, training, conversionmanagement and supply chainmanagement.

“It’s important not to underestimatethe design to delivery process,” saysPatrick Brown, programmemanager for NIMCIS, “particularly thedesign elements as these drive themanufacturing and production phases.”

Flexibility and agility were also keyassets in this programme, he says.“On the whole the NIMCISprogramme has been very successfulachieving all its major milestones in atimely manner, although this wasn’twithout many challenges andworkarounds along the way.”

In parallel with the platformconversion programme, the RMLMCis carrying out training at the NavalTraining Centre in Amsterdam. Thisuses a Computer Aided Interactive

Training facility provided by GeneralDynamics UK.

Wilson points to the significance ofthis successful programme in the waythat it demonstrates the world-classC4I export capabilities that GeneralDynamics UK has created. “A keyelement of the Defence IndustrialStrategy is a self-sustaining UKindustrial capability, and this Bowmanexport contract substantially enhancesBritain’s industrial base.“

Trusted to deliver


Export successes

The C4I domain expertise of General Dynamics UK has already resulted insome significant export contracts:

RomaniaIn 2005, the Romanian Ministry of Defence achieved full operationalcapability with a secure voice and data system provided by GeneralDynamics UK. Three battalions of armoured vehicles were equipped with thesolution which, because of its high level of interoperability, enabled theRomanians to contribute a mechanised battalion to NATO forces. Thesystems were fitted by General Dynamics UK and in-country partnerInteractive Business Solutions. The Romanian MoD subsequently contractedwith General Dynamics UK to equip a further two Battalions of Mountaineersas well as helping to define an end-to-end communications architecture.

NetherlandsThe Royal Netherlands Navy has been suppliedwith the New Integrated MarinesCommunications and Information System –NIMCIS. NIMCIS provides the Royal NetherlandsMarine Corps with a secure voice and datacommunications infrastructure capable ofsupporting a range of network-enabledcommand, control, communications, computingand intelligence systems. In addition to thestandalone system capability for the Marines, akey feature of NIMCIS is the interoperability itprovides between the Netherlands and UKforces, as allies and as part of the UK/NLAmphibious Force, as well as interoperabilitywith other allied forces. NIMCIS replaces avariety of legacy communications systems

within RNLMC.

Training is a key part of NIMCISand all C4I solutions


TRUSTED TO DELIVER……by those who matter.General Dynamics UK is a leading integrator of defence and security systems. We deliver decisive advantage for military and government customers worldwide.

As well as providing integrated mission and tactical solutions across the C4ISTAR domain, we also specialise in the integration and digitisation of Armoured Fighting Vehicles and the protection of critical national infrastructures.

With our world-class team and industry-leading knowledge, we have a proven track record. We’re trusted to deliver.

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