About

Concept & Methodology

5G-MILNET aims to study and design ubiquitous communications using an ad hoc private 5G system empowered through miniature 5G base stations, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) for secure connectivity, RF antijamming technologies and smarm intelligence, combined with purpose-designed autonomously operated drones with enhanced power and charging capabilities – to connect all end devices seamlessly and securely in the joint battlespace for unparalleled situational awareness to enable improved situational awareness and allow informed subsequent decisive actions on the go. Thus, 5G-MILNET will reduce decision timelines for countering rising threats on the battlefield whilst bolstering resilience by reducing single points of failure.

5G-MILNET proposes the design of a private, robust, reliable, portable, lightweight (up to 10kg including the UAV), and cost-effective (i.e., <50% compared to fixed pre-established private 5G networks) tactical 5G communications system, which can be rapidly (ad hoc) and dynamically deployed on demand within less than an hour in the battlefield, to enable seamless, resilient and secure, high-speed, real-time connectivity and data flow across the battlefield and backend control and command operations. In particular, the use of 5G communication systems brings more reliable, higher throughput and ultra-low-latency connectivity required for edge devices and platforms, like autonomous systems, to fully harness the power of AI and convey critical real-time data flows, including live video streams, back to the headquarters for timely informed real-time decisions.

By securely establishing such ad hoc 5G networks, warfighters can achieve more effective operations in communications-contested and denied environments and have access to data to perform their missions anywhere in the world. 5G-MILNET proposes a groundbreaking approach with a very high potential of disruption in the defence domain to seamlessly deploy a survivable, high-performance, and secure 5G-NPN for battlefield applications, building on SotA and beyond 5G mesh networking technologies, breakthroughs on graphene-based battery technologies and UAV airframes, as well as robust cybersecurity and anti-jamming technologies.

Main architectural elements that comprise the 5G-MILNET system

Α miniature 5G Base-Station (or mini gNB) that is a self-contained, reliable and genuinely “zero-touch” is core to the 5G-MILNET concept, as it can be seamlessly commissioned and operated on the battlefield, similar to existing military equipment, addressing communication needs among warfighters and the Command & Control Centre (C3). 5G-MILNET will build the first such fully contained system for non-experts on the battlefield, supporting zero-touch commissioning, self-configuration, and self-healing.

Introduced in recent 3GPP releases (3GPP Rel-16 and 3GPP Rel-17) will be leveraged to ensure coverage extension through relaying. Thus, even when the C3 is out of range of frontline warriors, its range can be extended on demand via intermediate hops that perform packet relaying either from 5G gNB-to-gNB (via the Integrated Access and Backhaul – IAB protocol) or from 5G device-to-device (via the Sidelink Communication protocol). The 5G mesh networking protocols are also inherently survivable; even if an individual mini gNB is incapacitated, the other mini gNBs can still support the communication through seamless handover mechanisms, thus ensuring high resiliency.

The platform is based on graphene technologies, ensuring (a) a lightweight airframe with appropriate aerodynamic characteristics and (b) graphene batteries optimised for fast charging and increased energy density that significantly improve flight time and minimise charging time. 5G-MILNET proposes swarms of such UAV carriers for mini gNBs, automatically forming a survivable wireless mesh with the frontline, greatly simplifying the establishment of Line-of-Sight (LoS) links that ensure reliable, high-speed communication. The swarm of UAV carriers ensures redundancy, as communication is maintained even if individual UAVs are destroyed or have their batteries depleted. In the latter case, they autonomously return to base for fast recharging, and replacements are automatically dispatched.

The security hardening features via AI-based Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) and RF anti-jamming technologies. These allow the 5G-NPN and backhauling technologies to resist electronic warfare efforts, complementing the excellent error correction capabilities of 5G-NR that can tolerate packet error rates exceeding 10% and the inherent redundancy of the 5G-MILNET backhauling solution.