UK & Ukraine Seek New Combat Radios to Counter Russian EW

by Julian Nettlefold

The British Army’s new architectural approach to combat radio networking, known as Evolve to Open (EvO) evolves the closed proprietary BOWMAN system capability into an open, modular system to allow the integration of new radios, applications, terminals and other system components faster and with greater ease. 

In April 2017, General Dynamics UK was awarded a £330m contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to design a ‘system of systems’ open architecture for the nextgeneration tactical communication and information system as the initial phase of the MORPHEUS programme.

At the outset GDUK is believed to have estimated that EvO would cost £700 million however the contract was ultimately awarded for £330 million. The system plans to connect deployed tactical forces to their commanders, give improved access to powerful operational IT and simplify the user experience. 

The open system approach allows new technologies to be rapidly integrated to tackle emerging threats and enhance interoperability with allies. The EvO contract was the first to be awarded for the MORPHEUS programme, which will give UK Armed Forces across all three services modernised command and control networks using the latest technology. 

EvO aims to provide a plug-and-play solution architecture for MORPHEUS to prevent stove piped software and technology solutions which do not easily network together. Multi-domain warfare requires seamless connectivity from land, sea and air platforms, from HQ down to the front line using a multitude of bearers be they radio, SATCOM, 5G or IP. 

To design a new architecture to accommodate all of these requirements is a very ambitious task given that it took over 20 years to develop the 3GPP mobile telephony standards where, by contrast, the commercial opportunity for network and handset providers was extremely compelling. 

The other obstacle is that in the majority of major MoD procurements, the contractor is required to develop new versions of old things, platforms which will not necessarily have the required technology to talk to other platforms or indeed other armed forces equipment; thus it is typically difficult to make these platforms operate and communicate together as a coherent force particularly with the MDI kill chain in mind. By early 2022 EvO seemed to be at a decision point, to complete the architecture with additional funding or perhaps