Northrop Grumman engineers eyes and ears for military convoys

Northrop Grumman tested its Smart Integrated Vehicle Area Network (SiVAN) and vehicle-mounted sensors in a demonstration of advanced technologies for ground vehicle protection and situational awareness. The trial took place at the Camp Roberts range in California and involved a typical convoy mission leaving a Forward Operating Base.

The SiVAN and sensors allowed crews in multiple vehicles to maintain situational awareness with one another and the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) no matter the weather condition. Network sensors shared target information and imagery via a wireless mesh network connection that allowed TOC Operators to view imagery from multiple feeds. Northrop Grumman’s Rotorcraft Avionics Innovation Laboratory also tested the rapid integration capabilities of the SiVAN with its fire control systems, targeting systems, radars, unattended ground sensors, acoustic sensors and survivability equipment.


Kay Burch, Northrop Grumman’s Vice President of Communications for Intelligence & Networking, says, "Military convoys are vital for resupply and force mobility in theater, but they face a number of significant threats. Improving their safety was one of the goals of our testing at Camp Roberts. The digital interoperability we demonstrated here will improve warfighters' situational awareness by giving them greater access to the information they need, when they need it."

The SiVAN not only uses a simple plug-and-play interface to connect is various technologies, it can also self-heal given its highly survivable technology. Warfighters are able to add devices and distribute the data throughout the network how they see fit. By utilizing a self-forming information link between vehicles, local area dismounts, unmanned aerial vehicles, and any other platform, the SiVAN enables seamless interoperation. The open architecture foundation contains optimization for rapid integration of future developments.