Saab Technology Features in Royal Navy led Information Warfare Exercise

Saab has contributed two innovations systems to the UK’s second-ever Information Warrior exercise.

Saab’s 9LV Combat Management System (CMS) and TactiCall Integrated Communication System (ICS) were successfully used in the Information Warrior 18 (IW18) event, which was led by the Royal Navy and industry.

The exercise was held at Royal Marine Barracks Stonehouse and British multinational defence technology company QinetiQ’s Portsdown Technology Park and aimed to drive the future development of warfare capabilities, focusing on the computerised side of modern warfare.

“IW18 has more than simply benchmarked current capability to allow for further testing, it has demonstrated available technology to progress the Royal Navy’s Information Warfare vision, through both the development of its own representative open architecture and close participation from industry. It is encouraging to see major defence contributors such as Saab willing to demonstrate how their CMS and Tactical ICS are able to operate on a Government owned open architecture.  I am convinced this will help us to continue the development of an Information Advantage and deliver relevant, cost-effective cutting edge warfare capabilities,” said Commodore Ian Annett, Royal Navy.

In particular, as part of the Ministry of Defence’s vision for new open standards across all systems, the Royal Navy aims to implement systems architecture which will be open and upgradable on board its vessels.

In line with this vision, Saab’s 9LV CMS is open and modular, based on modern IT architecture principles, which increases mission capability by enabling flexible and effective operations.

9LV was also the only CMS participating in IW18 with the open interface standards needed to handle the simulated environment, with the modular and scalable design meaning hardware and software can be adapted to specific requirements. 9LV is already used by the Australian, Canadian and Swedish Navies.

The role of TactiCall in IW18 was to address the needs of modern navy operations, which often consist of joint setups and include a multitude of different frequency bands, networks and radio equipment.

TactiCall ICS interconnects all communication technologies, reducing effort and risk and increasing tempo. It is the only Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) integration platform currently certified to EAL5+ within the NATO community.

Furthermore, as a modular system, TactiCall integrates seamlessly with third party equipment protecting prior investments and prolonging the lifespan of existing systems.

TactiCall is used by the Norwegian and Australian militaries and has civilian application, including emergency services and the offshore sector.

“Saab is delighted to have worked closely with the Royal Navy and QinetiQ not only to test a new innovative range of capabilities, but also to partner closely to demonstrate the potential for greater collaboration within industry. Our work with QinetiQ shows that we have an open business model as well as open systems,” said Andrew Walton, Head of Country Unit UK and Ireland at Saab Market Area Europe.