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A force for

the future

IT expertise from TRW

TRW is at the

heart of the US

Army's Force XXI

experiments in

digitisation of the

battlefield.

In March 1997 the US Army conducted its ground-breaking Task Force XXI advanced warfighting experiment (AWE) at its national training centre in Fort Irwin. This nine-month process culminated in a digitised training event whereby a digitised brigade was pitted in simulated combat against a brigade that was commanded traditionally.
The digitised brigade was commanded and controlled via a Tactical InterNet and approximately 1,000 Applique computers were installed in command posts, armoured vehicles and helicopters and operated by dismounted troops. This was the first time such a force had been fielded and many commentators compared the event with the famous Louisiana Wargames of the 1930s when the US Army experimented with armoured warfare before World War II. The results are still being examined by the US Army and the AWE looks set to be copied around the world.

TRW's Applique system is helping the US Army move towards its vision of a digitised battlefield for the next century

TRW Systems Integration Group was the US Army's prime contractor for the Force XXI battle command brigade-and-below (FBCB2) system for the digitised element of the experiment. It provided the hardware, software, data buses, installation, training and maintenance.
The results were spectacularly successful, validating the US Army's hypothesis that information technology improves the effectiveness of a land-combat team. This experiment has provided the army with data to guide its vision towards digitisation in the early 21st century. Many new ideas and products were tried during Task Force XXI but the centrepiece of the activity was the hardware and software that constituted the FBCB2 system, also known as the Applique system.

More than 1,000 Applique computers were operated simultaneously during the experiment demonstrating their unique capability to gather and distribute critical information to soldiers, units and battle commands in near-real-time through the use of a revolutionary new communications system, the Tactical InterNet.
Displayed on a digital map background with associated battlefield symbology the TRW- provided Applique and Tactical InterNet combined to deliver near-time situational awareness, enabling each wheeled vehicle, tracked vehicle, helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft and dismounted soldier to see friendly and known enemy forces.

FBCB2 was the first large scale software systems to be built in compliance with the new army technical architecture

Based on layered applications connected via a software backplane and built-in evolutionary increments, starting with a software architecture skeleton, the version 1 software used proved that situational awareness could be provided to a large mobile force communicating over the Tactical InterNet.
TRW's techniques of layering, isolation, encapsulation and modularity made the FBCB2 software flexible and re-hostable. Six different types of computer were used during the process and portions of the software were used in a further 10 systems. FBCB2 was the first large-scale software system to be built in compliance with the US Army's technical architecture, a building code for complex software since adopted as a joint standard.

FAAD C1 provides target cueing and overall situation awareness to division air defence weapons

Military-specific devices such as the SINCGARS SIP radio and the EPLRS data radio were integrated under a set of commercial protocol standards.
TRW's approach towards managing multiple- fielded configurations of complex software systems previously proven on US Army programmes such as CSSCS, FMD, C21, GBR and STACCS, proved again that disciplined configuration management procedures combined with sound system/software engineering processes are absolutely critical to the future of the digitised battlefield. Adhering to this proven approach for managing multiple systems, TRW integrated a dozen systems developed by several contractors into more than a dozen mobile tactical operations centres and the 1,000-node F~CB2 network.

FAAD C1 is now fielded to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

TRW's responsibility for Task Force XXI and FBCB2 extended further than software, the Tactical InterNet, systems architecture and systems integration. Also included were a variety of hardware responsibilities such as the design, development, qualification, production and maintenance of all the computer systems for the Applique platforms. TRW also was involved in the design, development, qualification and maintenance of more than 90 per cent of the installation kits for wheeled ground platforms, tracked ground platforms, helicopters and some dismounted soldiers.
For Task Force XXI, TRW and its teammates delivered more than 1,000 computers of six varieties and installed them into more than 850 platforms of almost 50 varieties. Approximately 200 soldier systems also were provided for dismounted use.
The design of these devices was proven appropriate for the intended use because they achieved daily operational availability rates of more than 90 per cent each day of the AWE. On most days a rate of 98 per cent was achieved. This experience is being used to define cost-effective next-generation equipment that will provide additional performance breakthroughs and also will ensure that digitisation is affordable as well as effective.
The TRW/US Army team is already at work using the lessons learned during the Task Force XXI AIWE process for the US Army's Interim Digitized Division, an initial digitised corps, and for the complete force of the future

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