Performing activities in System Integration and Software Development in the defence industry and public sector, MilSOFT. is a national and private company established in 1998. Developing unique software ever since its development, MilSOFT’s main activity areas are Command Control, Data Links and Messaging, Image Exploitation Systems, Electronic Warfare, Modelling and Simulation, Embedded Systems, Information Technologies Solutions and Cyber Security.

We seized the opportunity to collect first-hand information from MilSOFT representatives who attended the third Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition (ADEX 2018) held at Baku Expo Center in Baku, Azerbaijan on 25-27 September 2018.  We discussed their ongoing activities as well as their marketing activities both in Turkey and abroad.

Developed through national resources, the Naval Information Exchange System (NIXS) provides great situational awareness to end-users and it is currently utilized successfully by an undisclosed country’s Naval Forces. MilSOFT has accomplished the development and delivery of the NIXS, in record time, such as 8.5 months after the effective date of the contract. MilSOFT is currently getting prepared for proposing the NIXS solution, which displayed great export success, to the Turkish Naval Forces and the Coast Guard Command at home as well. At the same time MilSOFT has also developed an application rendering the radios over the platform available for IP based utilization. In this way, the HF or UHF radios over the platform could be integrated IP based and therefore all implementations could be run over the IP. This capability enables great user flexibility. The NIXS System could be utilized through a laptop in surface platforms. Besides, when a big screen is requested, the image on the laptop could be reflected to the big display at the Combat Information Center (CIC). Two different images are generated on the vessel, and one of them is the tactical image prepared through the sensors while the other is the regional tactical picture sent from the Headquarters. The decision maker on the vessel is able to pick one of the two images and display it. The Headquarters which is a fusion center generates the regional tactical picture in light of the data transmitted through the platforms equipped with the NIXS and then it publishes/sends this image to the vessels within the IP based network, according to the ‘Area of Interest’. As the Headquarters imprints the regional tactical picture to the vessel, it transmits the assignment order at the same time. All this communication could be conducted securely through encryption. Within this context, if the user to whom MilSOFT provides its own encrypted solution has its own indigenous encryption, then this encryption system could also be integrated with the NIXS as per the request.

MilSOFT is also the Link-11/16 Tactical Data Link System supplier of the first three ADA Class Corvettes. MilSOFT named its capability Mil-NET which is a system that enables IP Based communication and information sharing amongst land/naval/air platforms by utilizing existing or new HF and V/UHF radios, based on STANAG 4691. It is a member of a family of networks called Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANET)s. The company has developed the DLP (Data Link Processor) over the Mil-NET and also developed a Tactical Data Link Solution named Link-M which could be customized to non-NATO Allied Countries. The product is currently off-the-shell and it is at the maturity level enabling the delivery on request. Mil-NET could be utilized stand-alone upon request as it could be used through a MilSOFT product Mil-CMS and/or with its derivative Combat Management System (CMS) or integrated with the ship’s CMS at the inventory of the user. MilSOFT has proven its capability in this area previously by integrating its Tactical Data Link System (Link-11 and Link-16) to the GENESIS CMS at the ADA Class Corvettes and GABYA Class Frigates. The most critical feature of Mil-NET is its ad-hoc configuration, in other words, as Mil-NET equipped ships enter the communication range, the system (similar to the AIS link) automatically constitutes the IP based communication and data sharing network without requiring any operators. Mil-NET was designed in a structure configurable in accordance with the requirements of the Land and Air Forces as well.

For a special task, MilSOFT formerly added the Link-11 capability within 15 days to one of the Coast Guard Search and Rescue (CGSR) Vessels to which it accomplished the delivery of the three-operator console Ship Command Control System (GemKomSis) Combat Management System (CYS).

Being successfully utilized by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) for two years, the Integrated Intelligence System Mil-INTEL collects the data transmitted via various Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms/sensors such as the ANKA Unmanned Air Vehicles, GÖKTÜRK Observation Satellites, E-7T Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircrafts and DB110 EO/ IR Reconnaissance Pods in the inventory and enables the generation of the 2-D and 3-D based and Geographical Information System (GIS) supported Common Intelligence Picture which covers overall Turkey. With the system installed in our country, the operator is able to both monitor the image captured through the ANKA UAV (FLIR or SAPRER SAR/GMTI Radar) from the screen (from the window on the right side of the screen) and track the route followed after the geographical fusion of the telemetry information collected via the UAV with the GIS over the map (in this way UAV’s exposure to GPS Spoofing is prevented as well) as a real-time. The operator is capable of generating intelligence related with any targets detected on the ground during the flight and this data could be stored on the system memory with a geographical position data, thus the user would be capable of making queries on his image library for the recorded intelligence data (the information and images collected during user’s flight or the ones acquired via the ISR systems) of the past during another flight in the future at the region and displaying them. With the help of the allocated data ports, Mil-INTEL is capable of reflecting the images captured by the operating ISR Systems live in case of live feed/stream and according to user preferences, it is capable of conducting the playback of the image recorded in the back plan during the video stream in a later period. In this way, operating over a processor network with a distributed architecture Mil-INTEL is capable of continuing its operations without any performance losses in case of the breakdown of one of the processors. MilSOFT recommends the Mil-NET for the Armed Forces of other countries as well.

Developed and launched for utilization by the relevant units’ ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) requirements in both tactical and strategic level, Mil-INTEL is a product that contains all stages of the intelligence wheel and it was developed through the utilization of the latest technologies. Mil-INTEL’s main features are as follows:

Generation of 2-D and 3-D based and CBS supported Common Intelligence Picture

Live sensor/ data integration of the UAV, Satellite and reconnaissance / surveillance aircraft

Live and recorded video or fixed image processing

Data storage, inquiry and access in accordance with the user based data structures

Geographic based storage, inquiry and access of various text-based data such as Word, PDF, PowerPoint

STANAG 4559 interface

Integration capability with third party data sources