default NATO-CMRE-GliderC2 scientific capability achievements in NATO exercise CWIX 2017: technology readiness level 4 for live underwater glider remote tasking and C2 data provision through virtualized services

NATO-CMRE-GliderC2 scientific capability achievements in NATO exercise CWIX 2017: technology readiness level 4 for live underwater glider remote tasking and C2 data provision through virtualized services. Bourque, François-Alex ; Vicen Bueno, Raul ;  Cimino, Giampaolo ; Cecchi, Daniele ; Berni, Alessandro ;  Merani, Diego ;  Soto, José ;  Cocchetti, Pierluigis-Alex. CMRE-FR-2017-010. January 2018.

This report summarizes the work done in the Increment 2 of the NATO-CMRE-GliderC2 (Autonomous Underwater Glider Command and Control) scientific capability to reach Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL 4). Demonstration of this TRL was done during the NATO Coalition Warrior Interoperability eXploration, eXperimentation, eXamination, eXercise (CWIX) 2017 in conjunction with the CMRE-led scientific sea-trial 2017 Nordic Recognized Environmental Picture (NREP17). TRL 4 was achieved through several steps (TCPED): remote Tasking of underwater gliders; autonomous Collection of observations from the sea; Processing of collected data at the reach-back center at CMRE; Exploitation of processed data; and Dissemination of process data in an interoperable way. These steps are aligned with NATO Joint Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JISR) policies and doctrines.

TRL 4 was demonstrated by running 100+ individual test cases with 50+ NATO and National capabilities from 15+ NATO and Partner Nations. The GliderC2 scientific capability demonstrated following interoperable standards to be able to provide live information from the sea to operational sites in a stable, reliable and secure way. This data provision was done from NU networks at sea to MS networks in land.

Besides reaching TRL 4, the major challenge for CMRE in CWIX 2017 was to allow final users the tasking of live underwater gliders deployed at sea. Gliders in the South of Iceland waters and the operational site at the NATO Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland, were the two locations used for this testing. Successful remote tasking was done by 20+ final users from different nations (USA, GBR, DEU, NOR, ROU, etc.), demonstrating remote tasking of live underwater gliders is possible.

Illustrations with most of the capabilities the GliderC2 capability interoperate with in CWIX 2017 are provided in these report. These illustrations show how GliderC2 capability was able to provide inputs into the NATO concepts: Recognized Environmental Picture (REP) through Meteorological and Oceanographic (METOC) observations and forecasts; and Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP) through live underwater glider positions and intended tracks to enhance the underwater domain, not covered by any other capability in CWIX 2017 (with participation of 200+ NATO and National capabilities).