The topic should contribute to solve these specific challenges:

• The capability to operate interconnected in a fully integrated way, under challenging multi-domain (i.e., land, aerial, surface, subsurface and cyber) threat conditions.
• The definition and the design of the core architecture of the future European naval platforms by a SoS approach.
• The analysis of naval vessels survivability aspects on an operational level, considering its three key aspects (i.e., susceptibility, vulnerability, and recoverability) under an integral approach, leading to a resilient ship.

This topic aims to identify and define essential elements for future European naval platforms as functional system building blocks by specifying a full set of new technologies, solutions, and systems to be fitted on board, covering the following main areas:

• Four pillars:
  • Combat System. New threats based on emerging technologies lead to the development of combat systems with enhanced sensors collaborating under an extended top-side concept that increase the detection capability, in time and accuracy, as well as new weapons/effectors able to face them, based on decision making algorithms to allow shorter reaction time to engage those threats. The UxVs are to be integrated into the Combat System as an extension of the detection and defence capability. In terms of survivability, specific challenges to susceptibility are the required countermeasures, both hard-kill and soft-kill, and their deployment, together with the ability to predict and manage where a missile or a torpedo might impact the vessel, as an important interface between susceptibility and vulnerability. UxVs should be also analysed in relation to ship survivability.
  • Communication and Information System. Solutions need to be sought to meet emerging challenges in this area such as the management of a big volume of data transmitted at high speed (comparable to 5G and ahead) in a very demanding operational theatre, the integrity and cybersecurity of the data, and the EU naval tactical cloud integrated in a military multidomain operations cloud. Special consideration should be made on anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) scenarios, defining embarked cloud capabilities to support the edge operation of joint forces overseas. Attention must also be paid to complete loss of connectivity due to denial or due to stealth reasons.
  • Enhanced Platform Management System. New threats and evolving technologies should lead to redefine the current concept of naval platforms to ensure enough and adequate power generation, as well as a proper top-side compatible with new weapons and UxV launch and recovery systems (LARS) on board. In the same way, future naval platforms should address efficient platform control and management, as well as increased power supply needs for future weapons and sensors, and new energy technologies to achieve the European Green Deal objectives. In addition, ship signature management, smart damage control, and survivability aspects should be considered because countermeasures, both hard-kill and soft-kill, and their deployment, or the impact of hypersonic missile or torpedo affect the vulnerability of the platform (e.g., a successful hard-kill engagement might result in debris hitting the ship, the success soft-kill deployments strongly affect the ship signatures). The impact of such events should be studied, and technical solutions to withstand the physical and system damage should be identified.
  • Navigation System. Solutions should be sought for increased safety during navigation, independent satellite positioning system, accurate inertial navigation system, autonomous operations and multi-manned and unmanned, underwater, surface, and aerial vehicles coordinated navigation.
• One transversal area linked to the four pillars:
  • Survivability Advisory System Foundation. The evolving threat landscape should result in a need for an advisory capability to assist in the setting of the ship signature management system, the deployment of hard-kill and soft-kill countermeasures, the adjustment of the ship’s signature for hit-point management, the post-hit damage assessment, the remaining capability including strength and systems, and the deployment of recovery actions to regain functionality. This should also allow for future task group advisory capabilities, where high value assets should be protected by the task group, and the survivability of the task group is expected to be optimised due to advice across the task group.

Proposals should design a SoS framework: Solutions should be sought based on a service-oriented architecture or any other evolution, that might sustain the above-mentioned areas. It should include transversal capabilities like for instance, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Based Decision Making, Digital Twin, Federated Mission Networking, Through-Life Support based on virtual reality and remote systems monitoring, Cyberwarfare, or Survivability

Proposals must address:

• The definition of common operational requirements of the essential elements for the future European naval platforms, covering the main areas (i.e., Combat System, Communication and Information System, Enhanced Platform Management System and Navigation System) under an integral survivability approach (i.e., Survivability Advisory System Foundation);
• The development of a concept of a SoS framework, typically based on a service-oriented architecture or any other evolution that might sustain the concerned areas;
• The definition of a modular, interoperable, scalable, and flexible concept design to support an architecture that should provide a versatile solution for answering future Navies´ needs and trends;
• The identification of emerging technologies that should respond to the operational needs of the future naval platforms, including integrated operational data-, messaging-, telecom-communication systems;
• The design of a tool for the management of the ship signature while advising on the status and solutions for timely and accurate deployment of countermeasures, both active (e.g., advanced jammers, signature manipulators) and passive (e.g., flares, chaff, corner cubes), coordinated with hard-kill solutions, and including the prediction and management of the hit-point;
• The assessment of existing solutions and the consideration of new damage control systems where appropriate through automated systems, crew actions, and recovery of systems, while performing predictions of the state of the ship after incidents, likely based on AI that processes sensor readings/information and imaging;
• The design of an operational guidance system to support the Navigation System for ship operations with a damaged and undamaged ship (e.g., advice for helicopter operations, UxV deployment);
• The identification of the priorities on technologies to be further develop in the future, as well as the level of maturity to be achieved for the associated elements;
• The analysis of a tool for the European naval industry to assess and reinforce its ability to develop and support emerging key technologies;
• The operational assessment and the analysis of the technical viability, as well as the evaluation of the feasibility of the baseline concepts;
• The design of a joint technology demonstrator and to de-risk potential further activities in the future.

In addition, the proposals should substantiate synergies and complementarities, while avoiding unnecessary duplication, with activities described in previous call topics under EDIDP and EDF programmes.