Airbus Unveils Ground-Controlled C295 FITS Mission System in Action
Airbus has successfully completed a flight test series featuring an innovative capability for the C295 FITS mission system (COMMOMISS), allowing remote operation by ground-based personnel.
The series, conducted in April over southern Spain, consisted of four flights using an Airbus C295 Intelligence Surveillance Recognition (ISR) testbed, enhanced with a Collins avionics system.
The aircraft executed standard maritime patrol operations with all sensors managed in near real-time by a mission operator stationed at Airbus’ facility in Getafe. The transition of sensor control to the ground station was effectively executed, with various surveillance functions, such as Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) pointing control and radar oversight, carried out by the ground team using the integrated Ka band SATCOM.
Throughout the trials, the ground operator maintained comprehensive situational awareness, utilizing the same suite of tools and applications found in the onboard Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) workstations, thereby transforming the COMMOMISS ground station into an efficient additional operator node.
Among its features, COMMOMISS will offer users:
- Extra operator nodes in the Mission Support Centre on the ground, enhancing operational flexibility in lengthy and complex missions, allowing task-sharing between airborne and ground tactical personnel;
- Seamless integration with the operator’s Command and Control (C2) network, contributing to the creation of a Common Operational Picture;
- Instant access to all data collected by onboard sensors for real-time analysis, capitalizing on nearly unlimited resources available on the ground;
- The ability to minimize the number of onboard operators (and consequently workstations) during sustained surveillance missions.
COMMOMISS is set to shape the future of airborne tactical mission systems, enabling a cohesive mission system architecture, human-machine interface (HMI), and concept of operations (CONOPS) for both manned and unmanned aircraft, including fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms. It facilitates seamless integration into the overall system-of-systems, furnishing global situational awareness to operators and aiding in the production of the Common Operational Picture (COP) for ISR missions.
The necessary hardware to enable this advanced capability is accessible for new clients interested in the C295 ISR, indicating that the features of COMMOMISS could be available to any customer from this point forward, either as a standard option or a potential growth pathway.
