History of the Combat Management System Concept

The use of ships for military purposes dates far back in maritime history. Even though warships were mainly built for the purpose of transporting soldiers and weapons, they were also given, in due course, the task of fighting at sea and sinking enemy ships.

The mission of warships has constantly grown throughout history in world war.  They have been to protect trading ships, to prevent the enemy from shipping trade, to hinder enemy troops from attacking at sea and to carryout sea attacks. The protection of the rights and interests of countries at sea is possible only through modern warships.

As technology has developed so has the warfare capability of warships, and with this increased capacity, warfare at sea has become increasingly complex, and the need to instantly perform critical functions has become indispensable. In order to satisfy the increasing needs in parallel with the development of warfare, the concept of a Combat Management System (CMS) has emerged in order to provide support in command and control coordination and to support the command staff.

The Combat Management System is a system that acts as the brain of the existing war system on the platform to support the combat power of battleships and aims to:

Increase the situational awareness of the command staff

Assist in the effective use of weapons and sensors of the combat system

Provide decision support to the command staff for the operation carried out

In order to achieve these targets, the combat management system compiles the information obtained through both sensors and communication channels, processes the compiled information in accordance with operator inputs or system settings, and is able to both increase situational awareness and generate decision support by presenting obtained data to the operator or by using it in its predefined algorithms.

CMS History of the Turkish Naval Forces

The first modern combat management system of the Turkish Naval Forces was the STACOS SEWACO system, which was integrated in the TCG Doğan assault boat supplied from abroad at the end of the 1970s. Later, with the Barbaros class frigates, the TACTICOS combat management system was introduced with more effective capabilities.

The K-5 Command and Control System, developed by the Turkish Naval Research Center Command (TNRCC) for the Tepe Class Frigates in the mid-1990s, was a system introduced for the use of Turkish Naval Forces after the abovementioned foreign-based systems in which some CMS functions were also performed.

GENESIS CMS

After the experience gained from the K-5 project, the Turkish Naval Research Center Command initiated efforts to develop the first national combat management system in 1998 with the aim of modernizing the combat management systems of 8 G class (Gabya) frigates in the inventory. At the end of a 7-year effort, the first national combat management system, namely GENESIS, was acquired.

The GENESIS combat management system has been installed on 12 platforms in cooperation with Turkish Naval Research Center Command and HAVELSAN since 2005 and is being used successfully by these platforms.

ADVENT CMS

In the course of time, due to the reasons below, the need for developing a new generation combat management system has emerged:

Maintenance problems due to outdated hardware and software technologies

Inadequacy to meet increasing and changing user demands

Failure to provide the desired performance in the future due to the increasing number of tracks

Unable to functionally meet future needs due to changing operational needs, new war types and non-war operation needs

The Network Enabled Data Integrated Combat Management System (ADVENT) was initiated to be developed in cooperation with Turkish Naval Research Center Command and HAVELSAN in 2010 to meet the need of a modern combat management system for the Naval Forces Command's air, surface, underwater and land-based platforms.

System Engineering Phase

Within a period of two years, an intensive system engineering process with the joint efforts of Turkish Naval Research Center Command and HAVELSAN engineers was performed. During this process:

Old systems were reviewed, and deficiencies and problems were identified

User requirements were determined with operators, lessons learned were taken into consideration

National and NATO tactical publications, STANAGs were reviewed

Modern combat management systems were examined

Literature searches were conducted on non-war operations such as search and rescue at sea, humanitarian aid and maritime control

The personnel working in the combat elements of the Turkish Naval Forces Command were consulted

With the requirement set determined as a result of all these efforts, the definition of a combat management system that best meets the needs of the Turkish Naval Forces Command was revealed.

Design work started to fulfill the determined requirement set. Within this context, modern software and hardware technologies were examined and reliable and user-friendly technologies that best meet the needs were decided upon.

In ADVENT CMS, a production model having a product line approach was desired. Each ability of ADVENT CMS such as navigation, warfare, search and rescue were considered as a separate building block, and the building blocks for the target platform were brought together to form the CMS.

A similar approach was also used in the integration of platforms on which the ADVENT CMS would be used with the combat system. In this context, CMS - weapon / sensor integrations were planned to be realized as plug and play. ADVENT CMS does not generate behavioral changes according to the platform and system to which it will be integrated but provides tools to allow the platforms and systems to be identified by the CMS.

In this way, ADVENT has achieved a first in its field as a platform-independent CMS.

Development and Tests

ADVENT CMS development activities have been performed in a coordinated and harmonious manner at three different locations, Turkish Naval Research Center Command, HAVELSAN Istanbul and Ankara facilities. At the end of each stage of the 3-stage development process which lasted nearly 6 years, the system was verified and validated by stringent tests.

With nearly 500 applications having different tasks within the CMS and approximately 10 million lines of software code, ADVENT CMS is one of the most comprehensive combat systems in the world. 

ADVENT at “Blue Homeland” (in Turkish “Mavi Vatan”)

ADVENT CMS, after an intensive development and test process, was launched as the combat management system of the TCG Kınalıada, the last Ada class corvette of the Turkish Naval Forces Command. The test activities carried out on the platform were completed with actual firings and the TCG Kınalıada was delivered to the Turkish Naval Forces Command with the ADVENT CMS.

In the following period, the ADVENT CMS was agreed upon and contracted to be used as a retrofit in the TCG Burgazada, and as a combat management system on the TCG Anadolu (LHD), the TCG Ufuk (TVEG) and the TCG Derya (DIMDEG), the shipbuilding activities of which are ongoing and also on Barbaros class frigates that are set to be modernized. If it is approved by the Turkish Naval Forces Command, ADVENT is planned to be used in all air, surface, underwater and land platforms which are currently under construction and to be constructed in the future, and it is to be exported for use on platforms that will be constructed abroad based on the permits granted.

What is ADVENT?

ADVENT CMS is a completely national and domestic combat management system that

Has access to fully integrated TDL functions 11/16/22, SIMPLE, JREAP and VMF through all operator consoles

Is force-oriented instead of single ship

Responds to the needs of the network-supported operational approach

Facilitates the user’s quick and accurate decision-making through decision support systems

Targets a flexible structure in the use of new weapons and sensors

It has been developed in a modular structure that fits multitasking profiles and various platform types and is a platform independent system. With its scalable open architecture, it can be customized for surface, underwater and air platforms as well as for land facilities.

Modular ADVENT

The modules of ADVENT have been independently developed in accordance with the ADVENT style directory, offering different capabilities and services, but providing data interfaces defined by ADVENT.

By bringing together the units from list noted below, which are in the interest of the target platform, the combat management system of the platform is established. The capabilities, which are required for the target platform but not included in the existing capabilities of ADVENT, are developed within the scope of ADVENT's platform integration activities and included in the ADVENT product tree.

Situational Awareness

Status Display

CMS Support

Operation Support

Combat Management

Navigation

Non-War Operation

Platform and Intelligence

Subsystem - CMS Integration (Integration solution is available with nearly 50 systems)

Training and Simulation System

Infrastructure and Support 

Network Enabled Capability (NEC)

ADVENT, an effective and fully automatic combat management system, comes to the forefront with its advantages especially in “Network Enabled Capability”. Developed in a hierarchical structure in accordance with centralized control and distributed execution architecture, NEC increases the effectiveness of operations performed by enabling the share of platform capabilities with other platforms. NEC applications available under ADVENT are discussed in the following section.

Mutual Engagement Capability: 

In order to respond to the needs of dynamic and rapidly developing air warfare environment, ADVENT CMS uses a mutual engagement capability that enables rapid and efficient planning for the coordinated use of air warfare efficiency of the force over the NEC, proper allocation of resources and coordination of this planning with other platforms.

With this method, the weapon and sensor capabilities of the platforms with which the operation is performed jointly are shared over the NEC; plans are made for the overall task force considering the threats, the units to be protected and the resources, the plan is distributed to all task forces and executed in a coordinated manner.

Task Force-Focused Services: 

The CMS capabilities, which are offered as ship-focused (navigational plans, regulations, operational plans, search and rescue, etc.), are planned by taking into account other platform capabilities where operations are mutually carried out and shared with other platforms over the NEC and executed in a controlled manner.

Training Capabilities: 

With ADVENT CMS, advanced training capabilities are offered in both the virtual environment by simulators and in real environments by real systems. This training can be performed on a single platform or with other platforms where operations are mutually carried out over the NEC. 

Warfare Capabilities

In order to support the main types of warfare performed by warships (surface warfare, anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, asymmetric warfare, electronic warfare, mine warfare, amphibious operations), tactics and identifications (field, area, etc.) given for these warfare types in NATO and National Tactical publications are presented for the use of the command staff within the scope of ADVENT CMS.

Full Integrated TDL Functions 

Link 11/16/22, SIMPLE, JREAP and VMF networks are fully integrated with ADVENT CMS. With this integration, the multi-link system functions can be accessed not only from individual consoles but also from all CMS consoles. The TDL functions achieved in this way are distributed to all CMS applications. It is capable of operating multiple links of a similar type with different types of links simultaneously.

Non-War Operation

Today, the naval forces have significant roles in so-called humanitarian operations. ADVENT CMS offers a variety of capabilities to support activities such as non-war operations, evacuation, maritime control and search and rescue.

Navigation and Operation Support

Operators are presented with various solutions that have been offered in the ADVENT CMS to ensure that the platform navigates safely and executes operational tasks, such as planning, preview and execution of the operation, safety controls during the course of navigation, positioning, many navigational assistance services such as navigational planning, execution, anchoring, etc.

Integration to Platform Systems

ADVENT is a platform-independent combat management system. In order to integrate ADVENT quickly and cost-effectively into any platform, a structure similar to plug-and-play has been used. Thanks to this capability, it is be possible to support the flexible and dynamic integration of new weapons and sensors such as ÇAFRAD, National G/M etc. to CMS, as well as a mutual engagement infrastructure.

Rule-Based Decision Support System

Performing checks on the tracks continuously and taking actions against the tracks they have detected after these controls are very common for the operators using CMS ADVENT.  With its rule-based decision support system capability, CMS ADVENT allows the operator to define the rules that will be valid for the tracks and plan the actions to be taken when the tracks are detected as per these rules.

With the activation of these rules, the system starts to apply these rules on the tracks and performs the predefined action in case of detection. Besides, it also offers display services for the operators to have situational awareness by analyzing the current situation with different perspectives.

Operational Capabilities

ADVENT CMS, in addition to the current platform capabilities, is able to provide assistance in mine operations, maritime inspection, humanitarian operations, 

ADVENT CMS offers a user-friendly and flexible operator interface which is developed over modern hardware and software infrastructure. In addition, it also has capabilities such as multiple work space, authorized access to functions, dynamic help, situational menu, Turkish and English language assistance, warning infrastructure with operator interaction, 2D or 3D status presentation, infrastructure for dynamic data recording and play.

Summary

ADVENT CMS has successfully completed tests and has been launched as the combat management system of the TCG Kınalıada corvette. ADVENT is ready to serve as the combat management system of all platforms of the Turkish Naval Forces to be built and modernized today and in the future. Moreover, it is planned to serve the naval forces of friendly and allied countries with the approval of the Turkish Naval Forces.

ADVENT CMS as the rightful pride of Turkey, with its capabilities beyond the era, will take its place amongst the combat management systems of world navies. The greatest strength of ADVENT is that all of the activities, from design to development and testing, have been performed under the leadership of the Turkish Naval Research Center Command and with the contribution of HAVELSAN, one of the leading companies of the Turkish Defense Industry. It has been developed together with the user, not just with information obtained from the user.  ADVENT, in its present form, is an exclusive combat management system in the world “developed with the Naval Forces for the Naval Forces”.