Project Overview
Context and overall objectives of the project
The general objective of FEDERATES is the creation of technical and organisational interoperability to significantly increase the capability of the simulation and training capacities for multi-national armed forces of the MS and their partners. This allows meeting the needs and demands for training and decision-making in the age of 5D multi-domain warfare and digitized battlefields and application areas of the present and for the future.
In particular, FEDERATES develops a European Modelling and Simulation as a Service (MSaaS) solution to support Distributed Synthetic Training (DST) using assets from MS and Norway to showcase the partners’ background IP in the initial step. This unique approach of a cloud-based M&S Ecosystem will increase interoperability and efficient use of shared simulation resources, facilitate joint training and operations among armed forces and reduce the cost and preparation time for military missions, in particular during planning and training phases. The project will show the Ecosystem Prototype in a demonstration campaign of three iterations, the first of which will take place in June 2025.
Activities performed and main achievements
In the first 15 months of the project, FEDERATES has established the initial base for the prototype and the ecosystem from a stakeholder’s perspective. The first step in elicitation of the requirements, expectations and context of the future system was to conduct a survey among stakeholders from the participating Member States (MS)’ Armed Forces. FEDERATES was able to make some valuable observations that steer our understanding of the current state of practice and vision for the project.
The effort led to the State-of-the-Art Analysis and Technology Trends report and initial versions of the requirements and Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
The consortium has also made significant progress toward defining the architectural principles for FEDERATES, addressing security implications, and developing the Reference Architecture Document.
Key milestones include the completion of PDR (Preliminary Design Review). This progress contributes to a cohesive, standards-driven, and security-conscious framework for FEDERATES, fostering interoperability, innovation, and European-wide collaboration.
FEDERATES is currently in progress towards a Critical Design Review. An important milestone has been achieved for the first “Ecosystem Preliminary Design Review”.
Designs developed are based on existing standards and guidance documents including the FEDERATES Reference Architecture and the FEDERATES Solution Architecture.
The first iteration report (Services and User Application PDR) of FEDERATES Services and User Applications Design was delivered. It contained detailed description of the assets (i.e. software) beneficiaries are providing to be a part of FEDERATES and the assets use of the initial set of standards that FEDERATES will be using.
For the next iteration report (PDR 2), the modelling tool Enterprise Architect is used to model each asset including its resource ports, used standards and other connectivity information, making it easy to get a view on how assets can be connected. This is especially useful for the design of the planned demonstrations.
The cloud infrastructure is now available, and the technical implementation is on the way. The implementation of the network layout is ongoing, as there are different requirements for the security solutions.
After agreeing on the four use cases to be shown in FEDERATES, independent demo preparation sub-teams were formed to further develop these corresponding scenarios in parallel. Initially, the demonstrations were each focused on a single use case while, by mutual agreement, the 3/4 demonstrations will contain all 4 use cases identified and developed in a spiral manner: the first demo will have the aim of consolidating the infrastructure and verifying the functioning of some of the first MSaaS services (discovery and composition) with an initial implementation of the execution part of the use case. In the subsequent demos, all the MSaaS services will be completed and the execution part of the use case will allow the union of all the assets involved for a complete execution of the use case. The ultimate goal is the interaction between all currently identified MSaaS providers for the management of all MSaaS resources.
Results of the project (so far), actual and expected impacts
The project aims to achieve several significant impacts across various dimensions.
It is expected to enhance interoperability and enable more efficient use of simulation systems. The development of common reference simulation building blocks is anticipated to improve the capabilities of the European defense industry. Additionally, there is an expected reduction in the costs associated with military missions, particularly in the training and preparation phases, enabling diverse mission profiles.
Looking ahead, the project is expected to reduce reaction times for mission preparation and deployment while modernizing European Armed Forces and preserving past investments. It aims to identify current capabilities and needs, defining a roadmap to address technological and methodological gaps for a comprehensive response to user requirements.
Further anticipated outcomes include accelerated planning, preparation, and delivery of allied exercises by Member States, ranging from bilateral exercises to pan-European force preparation. The project is set to enhance the interoperability bridge to NATO joint exercises and enable simultaneous exercise planning, preparation, and delivery. User-friendly collaborative portals will ensure ease of use, with options for centralized or distributed planning and preparation. Connectivity to existing simulation systems at various security classification levels will be established, along with the sharing and pooling of synthetic assets, training and mission centers, real systems and platforms, and national C2, C4ISR, and TDL networks. Native interoperability and MSaaS elaboration will mask complexity, making the solution scalable from the country level for national-specific use up to the EU level. Implementation of "as a service" or patrimonial business models is also planned.
The consortium aims to reach a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6-7 to facilitate commercialization to Member States, creating a larger market for companies interested in developing such value propositions.