About
Background & Motivation
Modern warfare requires delivering secure, prompt and decisive action on the battlefield based on real-time high-speed data. Current military communication systems rely primarily on secure HF communications via the ionosphere during warfare conditions, however, existing HF systems cannot provide such capability due to limited bandwidth and other ionospheric conditions limitations. The public communication telecom infrastructure (both fixed and mobile), which could be used as the backbone of communications by military forces during peace periods, will most likely be incapacitated by hostile enemy operations during warfare. Additionally, military satellite communications can provide high-speed data connectivity; nevertheless, they may not always be available, depending on terrain and weather conditions, and 3rd parties could control satellites.
5G communication brings transformative new technologies for consumers and businesses, industrial and increasingly military applications. 5G is flexible enough to cover all the communication needs of the modern military, ranging from highly reliable connectivity, ultra-high data rates and support for Machine Type Communications. This was made possible via significant improvements to channel coding, as well as improvements to the air interface scheduler & downlink (DL) and, crucially, on the Medium Access Control (MAC) and HARQ functions that can tolerate packet error rates that exceed 10%.
5G Technologies in Private Networks
5G technologies are increasingly adopted in private networks, called 5G non-public networks (5G-NPN). In this new market environment, 5G system vendors see the opportunity to provide 5G connectivity through Platform/System-as-a-Service solutions. However, existing implementations of 5G-NPN solutions place their focus on the miniaturisation and power efficiency of the user terminal (i.e., smartphone) and not the 5G base station (gNB).
There is no commercial interest in portable, battery-powered guns, even though they would be highly valuable in military applications, especially on the battlefield. Portable, battery-powered guns would allow setting up a 5G-NPN on the battlefield, clearly outperforming best-effort protocols, such as Wi-Fi, whilst also offering strong performance guarantees.
Moreover, they would provide adaptability to multiple operational scenarios via appropriate parameterisation of the coding, HARQ and scheduling parameters. Such configurations should be performed autonomously with minimal user input via modern zero-touch management approaches that adapt system configuration based on the current operational conditions.
EDA’s Technology Watch & Foresight has identified the widespread digitalisation of the battlefield, including advancements in Artificial Intelligence, 5G communication networks, software-based battlefield vision, and the pervasive use of unmanned systems, as both a significant opportunity and potential threat to the EU’s future defence capabilities.
