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BAE SYSTEMS team demonstrates all-IP solution to Falcon

12 Sep 2001

An international team led by BAE Systems has demonstrated an All-Internet Protocol (IP) based solution to the UK Ministry of Defence's FALCON area communications system requirement.

BAE Systems, in partnership with world-wide commercial and defence companies, was selected by the UK MoD in early 2001 to undertake one of several concept studies into Project FALCON, the British Armed Forces' future tactical wide area communications system.

The BAE Systems solution capitalises upon its unrivalled knowledge of the information infrastructure domain and its world-class digitisation expertise. It benefits from the surge of investment in IP technologies in the civil sector and transfers them seamlessly into the military theatre for the first time to supply the high data rates required within the digitised battlespace.

The solution also reflects the market's retreat from other increasingly obsolescent technologies dedicated to niche areas in stable civil networks, being unable to meet the flexible, dynamic, resilient and robust needs of the military theatre.

The team's proposal will be based on the use of open standards, the delivery of an early military capability, extensive use of BAE Systems' highly regarded CIS modelling expertise, and its experience in both system and network management.

A key deliverable will be interoperability with Allied nations (especially the USA's WIN-T programme), supported by the full management of risk and BAE Systems focus on systems integration.

Following a series of recent customer demonstrations, Paul Read, Head of Tactical Communications, BAE Systems Avionics, comments "The use of All-IP technology produces inherently simple, low lifecycle cost network architectures. These operate using convergent technologies providing a highly efficient data capacity, with voice running through the same channels.

"The massive investment by world-class suppliers such as our FALCON partners, Cisco and Motorola, produces huge performance increases, high capacity and network stability. Our open architecture will allow future cost-effective growth and enable us to provide new services. Our solution offers early fielding of the solution into the British defence forces, who would benefit from significant manpower reductions compared with current systems. Our proposed system could also offer considerable export prospects which could be of potential benefit to both BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence."