The international Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) contracted a4ESSOR on 3 November to conduct the capability deployment of the ESSOR High Data Rate Waveform (EHDRWF) – the so-called ESSOR Development Stage 4 (ES4) at a procurement cost in excess of €47 million.
The Alliance for ESSOR (European Secure Software Defined Radio – a4ESSOR) is a multinational joint venture to develop software-defined radio (SDR) technology to advance development of interoperable tactical communications. The EHDRWF can be ported to national SDR, enabling any nation to use its own radio while being interoperable with the tactical communications of other nations. The six partner nations and their respective industry leaders: Finland – Bittium; France – Thales; Germany – Rohde & Schwar; Italy – Leonardo; Poland – Radmor; Spain – Indra – have been working to add new features such as electronic protection measures and support of modern cryptographic standards, leading to several successful interoperability demonstrations and qualification tests as well as to the adoption of ESSOR High Data Rate Waveform as NATO STANAG 5651 in 2023.
Under the new contract, a4ESSOR will design a common mission framework aimed at shared planning capability of the network parameters of the EHDRWF. Once implemented in the command-and-control system of each nation, the mission framework will ensure high interoperability at operational levels, allowing rapid, accurate deployment of multinational EHDRWF networks.
a4ESSOR will conduct field tests of the EHDRWF on the various radio systems to assess waveform maturity, performance and reliability in a range of scenarios, providing valuable feedback for future waveform enhancements. The field test will also include trials in different operational environments (urban, rural and hilly terrains), line-of-sight/non-line-of-sight and mobility scenarios, as well as analysis of waveform performances under potential interference conditions. Furthermore, the contract will define an ESSOR in-service support framework and will set up an ESSOR laboratory as the reference for interoperability validation.
Lino Laganà, President and General Manager of a4ESSOR, explained that “a4ESSOR has been active for over 16 years, playing a crucial role to develop and test ESSOR capabilities and technologies to address multinational defence requirements as a valuable solution in addition to the existing legacy waveforms. The ESSOR HDRWF standard is capable [of facilitating] seamless communications across diverse radio platforms and nations, affirming its potential to enhance collaborative defence operations across Europe and NATO countries […] The mission framework will allow a quantum leap forward in terms of interoperability among armed forces from various countries, as it will define what’s needed to achieve interoperability in mission planning and management. We will work at defining the required solutions towards their integration onto command and control systems of the various countries. It’s an evolution enabler, from technical to operational interoperability […] The project aligns with the European Union’s strategic objectives of strengthening defence cooperation, enhancing autonomy and improving the efficiency of combined military missions. By equipping EU member states with secure, interoperable and scalable communication solutions, the initiative strengthens Europe’s collective ability to respond to threats and ensures seamless coordination in operations.”
Image courtesy a4ESSOR via Rohde & Schwarz
