Page 48 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2021

46 LAND FORCES C4 EDGE
JUNE 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
Acacia’s workforce currently comprises more than 40 staff, comprising 45 per cent software developers, 32 per cent systems engineering and project management, 13 per cent mathematical modelling and algorithmic designers with less than 10 per cent of staff in management, busi- ness development and administration.
“Acacia’s contribution to the C4 EDGE program is to showcase the integration of software and hardware to provide the Army with the ability to rapidly exchange in- formation between C2, sensor and effector nodes in a bat- tlefield environment,” Huber said. “This BMS networking approach will provide greater situational awareness, allow faster and more informed decision making together with improved detection and target acquisition.”
Acacia Systems will rely on considerable experience gained developing the proven Cortex technology stack which is at the heart of the MMS provided to the AMSA Search and Rescue (SAR) aircraft. The Cortex system is currently being adapted to:
• Provide situational awareness view (known as the “Spa- tial View”) that will quickly update to keep the operator aware of their ever-changing environment (Display of Blue and Red forces).
• Enable Battlegroups to create, prioritise and send orders and reports.
BELOW: For the C4 EDGE program Cyborg is providing integration of the Australian designed and built Warfighter UGV platform into the C4Edge network.
• Allow the operator to filter out unwanted data to reduce cognitive workload required to interpret the environ- ment around them.
• Allow the user to quickly and efficiently create/update reports (Medevac, Contact and Situation Reports etc.).
• Allow Commanders to quickly create and share battle plans across battlegroup and below.
• Cortex will interface to multiple external applications and role equipment including weapon systems, passive sensors, threat detectors, and radios.
• Monitor and provide information on system health, alerts and maintenance functions.
The Cortex System will keep a clear and precise record
of all relevant data captured during a mission. This infor- mation can be replayed for debriefing, training or eviden- tial purposes.
“In the C4 EDGE application, Cortex will deploy up to 15 nodes which will include C4 HQ, Vehicles (Mounted), Sol- diers (Unmounted) and Logistics Node,” Huber explained to ADM. “Each node will interface with several sensors, com- munications and ruggedised display devices depending on role and hierarchy. The system will use a Human Machine Interface (HMI) leveraging off experience gained from other applications and also through experience afforded by opera- tional personnel embedded within the development team.”
BARRETT COMMUNICATIONS
“Barrett Communications is proud to be a partner in the C4 EDGE program,” Khes Ludher, their COO said to ADM.
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