Communication plays a key role in network-centric operations as well as in collaborations between civilian and military bodies. Reliable and efficient systems for mobile communications networks that allow for proper and timely command control capabilities – even in difficult conditions – are needed.

This research program focuses on developing the competences for the professional evaluation of technologies for future military systems. The aim of the program is to support strategic, operational and tactical decision-making in a degraded information environment and to validate conceptual approaches for future armament programmes.

Owing to the fast pace at which advances are made in civilian mobile communication technologies, testing must be carried on an ongoing basis to determine in which form these can be integrated into a military environment.

As no single technology will represent a comprehensive solution in the future, heterogeneous means of communication with modular architecture will also be taken into consideration. Intelligent and self-organising systems are extremely important if a large number of nodes (sensors, decision-makers and effectors) are to be networked together optimally. This requires the development of an intelligent network management system (incl. routing procedures) for the efficient utilisation of resources.

The increasing communication need for transmitting data and information between mobile systems (as well as command control and sensor networks) calls for the efficient use of limited resources in the electromagnetic field. Using software-defined and cognitive radios, waveforms and frequency occupation are optimised in accordance with their use and the electromagnetic environment. The new antenna technologies, such as smart antennas, can be used to increase performance and spectral efficiency as well as to reduce detectability. Alternative solutions to communicating using satellites include using swarms of drones or HAP (high-altitude platforms).