Atos and Rafael Win German Army ‘Glass Battlefield’ Study Tender

Atos GmbH, as prime, has teamed up with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and various partners, to demonstrate use of UAS in conjunction with combat vehicles, to achieve a real-time, three-dimensional, dynamic situation picture for mobile operations.

Atos GmbH has been selected to act as prime contractor by the German Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Federal Armed Forces (BAAINBw), for “Creation of a glass battlefield to support dynamic operations (ErzUntGlas)” study.

For mobile battlefield reconnaissance, the German armed forces need many unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that can span a “Glass Battlefield”. A C⁴I command and communication network consisting of civilian and military components will be used. The study entails an annual demonstration experiment starting in 2019 and until 2023, which would then be followed by a project planning up to 2025.

As prime contractor that submitted the winning proposal, Atos will provide Project Lead and Integration, and RAFAEL will provide FIRE WEAVER (advanced 3D many-to-many sensor-to-shooter system) and BNET (patented broadband IP spectrum-sensing SDR system for both air and land platforms).

BNET is a Spectrum-Aware SDR – utilizing the spectral arena of the battlefield to the fullest in a cognitive way, using Multi-frequency Channel Reception (MCR), which enables it to receive and analyze information from numerous frequency channels, simultaneously, using a single RF head.

Mr. Yoav Wermuth, VP and head of RAFAEL’s C3I directorate:

“Today’s battlefields are undergoing far-reaching changes that affect the operational needs of land, air and naval forces, with newly emerging real-time applications, such as sensor-to-effector cycle closure systems. Rising up to meet these challenges, and basing itself on decades of experience in the development of C⁴I solutions, RAFAEL has developed the BNET Family enhanced with a Patented technology, and the Fire Weaver for high-precision, three-dimensional, GPS-independent common visual language system. Assimilation of these systems into the Bundeswehr will lead to a number of significant changes: It will provide a common visual language between different types of units not only from the Bundeswehr, but also from allied forces, which share the same threats and missions, connecting multiple sensors and shooters on one single “flat” network.