Published in Military Embedded Systems
Written by John McHale
Vetronics systems today are increasingly focused on C4ISR [command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance], interoperability with other battlefield elements, and the capability to be optionally unmanned if necessary. They are also more likely to be built on open architectures as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) continues the push toward a modular open systems approach (MOSA) in upgrades and new designs.
For military ground platforms, the term “vetronics” no longer applies solely to vehicle controls, but how the vehicle electronics (vetronics) enable enhanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR); position, navigation, and timing (PNT); electronic warfare (EW) capability; optional unmanned capability; and connection to a larger defense network. This connectivity feature is critical as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) continues to build its Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy.
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“MOSA is very, very real and from what I can see the Army is taking it very seriously” because the PEO GCS {Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems) went through the trouble to create specific requirement documents to take what CMOSS laid down, what comes out of SOSA and narrows it specifically for their needs, says Jacob Sealander, Chief Architect for C5ISR systems for Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions (Ashburn, Virginia). “SOSA is broad and has lots of options, so this was necessary. For the Army it’s 100 percent [MOSA and] open standards, and the preference by and large for those driven by VITA and SOSA, so you see those requirements hard and fast."