Systematic assist NZDF in NEA Programme
Systematic has been awarded a contract to assist New Zealand Defence Forces to complete Tranche 1 of the Network Enabled Army (NEA) Programme.
This will involve Systematic’s SitaWare Suite of COTS products for C4I, along with design and implementation support services that leverage Systematic’s extensive international experience of C4I initiatives.
“Systematic will provide an Enterprise License for the full SitaWare Suite including Headquarters, Frontline and Edge products”, explains Mike Magill, President Systematic Asia-Pacific, “this enables interoperable C4I capabilities at all levels of command including not just static headquarters units, but also vehicles and dismounted commanders. In addition to the COTS based software at the heart of the C4ISR capability, we will also assist the NZDF team in providing architecture and system design services, along with implementation and integration support. A key feature of the support services is that they will take account of evolving and maturing requirements through the set-up of an ‘Agile’ project environment managed by Systematic.”
Systematic’s SitaWare Headquarters product has been used by the New Zealand Army for several years for training, experimentation and field exercises supported locally by Systematic business partner Eagle Technology Group Ltd. SitaWare helped Army personnel develop and improve different operational procedures and examine different configurations of software and equipment in readiness for a future network enabled system.
The New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said: “The new system will enable NZDF to gain a complete picture of the situation on the ground and share information quickly. The SitaWare Battle Management System and integration consultancy will cost $11 million over three years.
“The purchase is part of a programme to digitise the Army to provide modern command, communication, battle management and surveillance capabilities.”
“The SitaWare system will link headquarters, units, vehicles and individuals, allowing Army to get a full picture of the battlefield and share information quickly. It will also enable the Defence Force to operate seamlessly with partners when deployed in a coalition.
“This system won’t change what the Army does but it will provide advanced tools and techniques to support our soldiers, such as ‘blue force tracking’ and a common operating picture of troop movements.”
The SitaWare system has been trialled extensively by the Army for several years and is supported by local company Eagle Technology Group.
Richard Burn, Programme Director (Land), New Zealand Defence Forces, said: "The opportunity to extend the existing reach of SitaWare Headquarters into and across Army functions and utilise the experience of Systematic to design and integrate C4 ISR applications and architecture has driven this investment. The relationship represents the realisation of some of the core NEA programme principles that will meet the needs of the New Zealand Army."
The NEA Programme is a 12 year programme that will modernise the C4ISR capability of the NZ Army and is one of NZDF’s most significant capability programmes for the foreseeable future. The strategy is to deliver the capability incrementally and has therefore been broken down into four Tranches, with each Tranche progressively ‘net enabling’ a larger part of the Army, incorporating developments in technology along the way.