Exercise control inside Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System during Exercise Bersama Shield. (Defence)

Upgrades undertaken by Boeing to the situational awareness picture utilised in the Combined Joint Operations Centre (CJOC) within Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS) is giving the members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) improved multi-domain awareness to aid decision-making during exercises.

The integration, automation and performance upgrades have been providing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK with increased situational awareness for the conduct of combined joint exercises from planning to execution, Boeing stated on August 21.

Commissioned during Exercise Bersama Shield 2017 in May, the IADS Command and Control Information System (ICCIS) resides within the CJOC located at Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth.

The new system integrates multiple data and sensor pictures into a single screen, as opposed to multiple screens under the legacy system; during exercises, this means commanders are presented with an integrated battlespace picture at HQIADS.

The key features added to the ICCIS are being incorporated into the Vigilare ground-based air defence system, with the first phase due for delivery to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) by the end of September.

“Boeing used Australian engineering to deliver a deployed capability which vastly improves situational awareness and decision-making capabilities for the FPDA forces during exercises,” said Darren Edwards, vice-president and managing director for Boeing Defence Australia.

“The upgraded system delivers an enhanced capability, enabling FPDA forces to conduct exercises using a secure connection.”

Boeing Defence Australia designed a virtualised server system to reduce overall hardware and software lifecycle costs, and to expedite the addition of consoles and data or sensor feeds during future exercise scenarios.

A new, fully integrated simulation training capability also provides for real-time training and planning of future battles.