Overview
Modern warfare requires the secure delivery of strategic communication on the battlefield, based on real-time, high-speed data. Current military communication systems rely mostly on high frequency (HF) communications, which are restricted in capacity due to limitations imposed by the ionosphere. Additionally, existing communications infrastructures, including satellite communications, present challenges during warfare due to vulnerability to enemy disruption and high dependency on terrain and weather conditions.
5G-MILNET proposes a portable, secure, and cost-effective 5G-based communications bubble, which can be rapidly deployed on the battlefield to backhaul the signal between the forward operations and the headquarters. This will be established through the deployment of airborne units of drones guided by swarm intelligence and positioned in strategic locations, through secure device-to-device communication.
Objectives
Design a zero-touch, resilient, robust, secure, private, cost-effective, ad hoc, rapidly deployable communication system, that supports improved network performance on the battlefield via 5G and beyond technologies.
Facilitate joint mesh backhauling of airborne 5G base stations and side-link of 5G User Equipment (UEs) for coverage extension and resiliency.
Utilise graphene-based materials to enhance the performance and portability of the 5G-MILNET system.
Facilitate increased system resilience to cyberattacks and radio frequency (RF) jamming attacks.
Validate the capabilities and performance of the 5G-MILNET-enabling technologies in the lab.
Maximise the impact of 5G-MILNET through dissemination, communication, exploitation, standardisation, and capacity-building activities.
eBOS Role in the Project
In 5G-MILNET, eBOS has a pivotal technical role, as it will be leading the development of an AI-empowered software-defined perimeter (SDP) that will protect 5G networks and interconnected devices from cybersecurity threats. Testing of the performance of this AI-empowered SDP will conducted on the company’s privately developed testbed, followed by all necessary studies to validate the feasibility of integrating the SDP with the project’s other subsystems into a single platform.
Furthermore, eBOS will lead the preliminary high level design of 5G MILNET’s architectural components and specifications, unifying elements into one system that meets military operational needs. As WP5 leader, eBOS will oversee the transition from research to experimental development, including security assessments of data production and exchange, development and testing of experimental components.
Alongside its technical tasks, eBOS will lead the Exploitation and Sustainability strategy to maximise exploitation potential. eBOS will also serve as the Innovation & IPR Manager and the Quality Assurance & Risk Manager, and will be responsible for developing a detailed Knowledge Management and IPR Strategy. Finally, eBOS will create and maintain the project’s website and social media.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Defence Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
