Open Architecture for Naval Combat Direction System

France has adopted an “Open Architecture” approach for its Naval Combat Direction Systems (NCDS) in order to reduce the system’s total cost of ownership, to improve the system flexibility and to ensure system interoperability with existing or future systems. DCNS has been contracted by DGA, French Ministry of Defence, to develop this approach by defining a global process to specify and qualify the openness level of its Naval CDS. This process is based on the modelling of a reference architecture using NAF views and the creation of a requirement repository for system and technical openness specification and qualification. This study aims to increase the standardization of Naval CDS, above all from system view point. 1.0 INTRODUCTION France has adopted an “Open Architecture” approach for its Naval Combat Direction Systems (NCDS), the real-time part of the Combat Management System (CMS). Comforted by international state of the art and similar studies in other countries, French vision relies on an open architecture built on a modular architecture and the use of open standards. Like for other nations, Open Architecture is deemed: • to reduce the system’s total cost of ownership • to improve the system flexibility and evolutivity in order to face operational need evolutions and technology changes • to ensure the system maintainability • to ensure system interoperability with existing or future system DCNS has been contracted by DGA, French Ministry of Defence, to develop this approach based on the following tasks: • Standards Registry definition. This first task aims at: • identifying relevant state of the art principles and patterns for architecting and designing a CDS • identifying relevant standards • defining openness categories or levels and the appropriate selection of principles / patterns and standards for each openness category • Requirements Registry definition. This task covers: • the functional and technical decomposition of a NCDS • the requirements definition of interfaces with external systems: sensors, effectors, TDL (Tactical Data Link) and CSS (Command Support System) • the requirements definition of interfaces related with Force Level Capabilities Open Architecture for Naval Combat Direction System 25 2 STO-MP-IST-115 • Openness Qualification definition. This task includes: • an Assessment Process definition • a Qualification Process definition • a Qualification Tooling specification Figure 1: OA Study for naval CDS This paper will present the objectives of OA Standard registry and openness category definition approach and will focus on the work done on NCDS decomposition, external interface and qualification process. As a conclusion, it will expose the perspectives and continuation of this program. 2.0 STANDARD REGISTRY AND OPENNESS CATEGORIES Based on international OA state of the art and previous studies conducted by DGA and DCNS, the first step of the study was to identify: • Architecture and design principles or patterns that should be recommended to contribute to architecture modularity aspects • Standards and technologies that should be recommended for openness aspects Figure 2: OA Standard registry These recommendations are not limited to a technological viewpoint. They address operational, system and technical point of view through the different abstraction layers. 2. OA Requirements Registry • Naval CDS Decomposition (Op & Sys Views) • Naval CDS Technical Architecture • Specification of OA requirements for external interfaces 2. equire ents egistry • aval eco position ( p ys ie s) • aval Technical rchitecture • pecification of require ents for external interfaces 1. OA Standards Registry • State of the Art in Open Architecture • Definition of the OA Standards Registry 1. tandards egistry • tate of the rt in pen rchitecture • efinition of the tandards egistry 3. OA Qualification Definition • OA Assessment Process • OA Qualification Process • Specification of OA Qualification Tooling 3. ualification efinition • ssess ent rocess • ualification rocess • pecification of ualification Tooling Standards & Requirements Registries for CDS specification & qualification Open Architecture for Naval Combat Direction System STO-MP-IST-115 25 3 Figure 3: Viewpoints For each point of view, both modularity and standardization have been considered: • Operational viewpoint is necessary to capture • Mission or capabilities modularity and their future evolutions • Operational organisation and tasking variants • Capabilities interoperability needs • System View point enables the translation from operational architecture and its modularity into system functional decomposition and deployment • Technical viewpoint enables system to be build according to a layered technical architecture where application layer relies on software foundation, ensuring the independence of application modules from technologies Standards and technologies are considered not only for their contribution to system openness but also for their maturity and their diffusion. This analysis and these set of recommendations make possible to define Openness categories for each point of view depending on modularity and openness/standard use objectives. Operational Viewpoint System Viewpoint • System Function • System Module ... System Architecture • (Operational) Capability • Organisation • Operational Activity ... Operational Architecture • Computing Device • Network Device Hardware Platform • OS, Virtual Machine System of Interest • HCI & Application Foundations • « Middleware » Software Foundation • Application Module • HCI Module • Common Module ... Technical Viewpoint Software Application