Future Combat Mission System (FCMS)

CONNECTED SYSTEMS. COMBINED FORCES. JOINT INDUSTRIES.

The Rohde & Schwarz contribution within FCMS

The European Future Combat Air System (FCAS)

Network centric operations, information superiority, digitalized operations, Combat Cloud, sensor-effector network – all need high-performance data links in order to connect platforms, applications and systems to one another. The European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) consists of a 6th generation fighter aircraft networked to various types of UAVs (remote carriers) to which existing weapons systems are connected. All involved units supply and receive information necessary for the missions to and from the Air Combat Cloud (ACC), an optimized information system. The communications technologies are mainly developed in the Air Combat Cloud Demonstrator and in national research and technology initiatives .

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As a member of the FCMS consortium, Rohde & Schwarz is involved in a large number of projects.

National FCAS master plan for communications management (design of the routing processes)
National FCAS master plan for covert and robust communications (design of the data link)
ACC Demonstrator for next-generation antennas (design and demonstration of phased array antennas)
ACC Demonstrator for multi-modem software defined radio
ACC Demonstrator for inter-vehicular data link (design and demonstration of the data link)
National research and technology initiatives for robust communications (design of data link, phased array antennas, software defined radio platform and security architectures)

Here, Rohde & Schwarz has been assigned the role of national coordinator that will undertake the project jointly with the relevant German radiocommunications manufacturers.

Rohde & Schwarz contribution to FCAS

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Development of sensor technology

Data links for FCAS will be the result of multiple technological advancements.

Used frequency bands will be between 5 GHz and 50 GHz (C band to Ka band).
Electronically scanned antennas (phased array antennas) are directly integrated inside the outer shells of the flying platforms to enable the necessary radio ranges.
Integrated network capability: mobile ad-hoc networks can be set up for multiply ranges and to increase robustness against failures.
A new multi-modem software defined radio will be used as a universal platform for all radio technology and procedures.
Quantum-computer-resistant encryption methods, reconfigurable during a mission, safeguard communications.
Automatic selection of the most suitable means of communication (data link, legacy radio, SATCOM, optical data transmission, etc.) and data paths is performed using modern routing processes, reconfigure automatically during a mission (software defined networking).

For the development of these communications technologies, the contracting public agency has selected Rohde & Schwarz as the national champion in Germany. Embedded in the FCMS consortium, from 2022 Rohde & Schwarz will begin receiving major orders for technology maturation.

"Our FCMS system solutions are based on open architectures and interfaces, are modularly scalable and can be integrated in a multi-domain environment."

Maxime Zanini, FCMS Project Manager

FCMS – national key technologies under one roof

Air superiority is the essential prerequisite for future theater scenarios. The enormous leaps in technology lead to rapidly growing, cross-domain and ever more complex threat scenarios.

With the Future Combat Mission System (FCMS), decision-making chains with flexible and high-performance sensors, processing systems and effectors are embedded in the network of the airborne overall system comprising manned and unmanned platforms, carriers and command systems. This forms the so-called Combat Cloud, which as a complex overall system ensures that missions are executed successfully.

The overall goal is to be able to implement the functionality of the networked sensors and effectors universally and irrespective of platform and to utilize it on real joint and combined operations.

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The FCMS industrial consortium comprising the German companies Hensoldt, Diehl Defence, ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH and Rohde & Schwarz pools core competencies of national key technologies under one roof. FCMS offers wide-ranging and well-established national technological expertise for the FCAS/NGWS program, thereby ensuring the required national ability to contribute as well as future viability with respect to 6th generation mission systems.

"FCMS is committed to the complex challenges of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). With networked and secure communications solutions, we are making our contribution to national key technologies."

Stefan Pleyer, FCMS Steering Committee