European Secure Software-defined Radio: Achievements and Progress

The European Secure Software-defined Radio (ESSDR) project has made significant progress in developing secure software-defined radio systems. The project's primary goal is to create a secure and reliable communication system for the European Union's military and government agencies.

The ESSDR project has achieved several milestones, including the development of a secure software-defined radio platform that can operate in various frequency bands and environments. This platform is designed to provide secure communication capabilities for the European Union's military and government agencies.

One of the key achievements of the ESSDR project is the development of a secure communication protocol that can be used for voice, data, and video transmission. This protocol is designed to provide end-to-end encryption and authentication, ensuring that communication remains secure and tamper-proof.

The ESSDR project has also developed a set of security features that can be integrated into software-defined radio systems, including intrusion detection and prevention, secure key management, and secure authentication protocols.

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The ESSOR programme was launched around four years ago and involves six participating nations, with the main goal of providing a basis for the development and production of software defined radio products in Europe within the timeframe of 2011-15.

The programme is composed of two strands; the ESSOR architecture and the waveform. As far as the architecture is concerned, it has been designed and approved by the six participating companies as a common product.

The second strand is the specification of the waveform, which has now been finalised and is currently being developed, with the plan to have the best waveform developed and complete implementation on the national platform in one year's time.

We are currently conducting high-fidelity simulations to ensure the necessary performance is met, and the contract concludes at the end of 2014.

The programme is on track, with the first national approval tests finalized during the spring 2021, and the Finnish national radio platform for the ESSOR waveform is the Bittium Tough SDR product family.

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The integration of the waveform to the national radio platforms started simultaneously with the verification of the Base Waveform, and the first outcomes included the consortium's first PTT call, which was made in the fall 2020 at Bittium's test environment in Kajaani.

The ESSOR programme now includes six countries: Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, and the six industrial partners are Bittium (Finland), Indra (Spain), Leonardo (Italy), Radmor (Poland), Rohde & Schwarz (Germany), and Thales (France).

The programme aims to develop common technologies for European military radios, providing a secure military communications system that improves voice and data communication between EU forces on a variety of platforms.

The ESSOR consortium is a group of six European countries working together to develop a pan-European tactical level waveform. Each country brings its own national industry to the table, a so-called national champion, to form partnerships with industry leaders from other countries.

France has involved Thales in the program, while Italy has chosen Selex. This collaboration allows each nation to contribute its unique expertise and resources to the project.

Germany joined the ESSOR program in March 2020, bringing additional resources and expertise to the consortium. Rohde & Schwarz, a German industrial partner, will integrate the ESSOR HDR Waveform into the national radio platform SVFuA.

The inclusion of Germany in the program increases the resources available to the consortium, both in terms of industrial partners and participating countries.

The ESSOR program has made significant progress, with the architecture being designed and approved by participating companies and implemented on six radio platforms by 2012.

By 2013, the waveform specification was finalised and high-fidelity simulations were conducted to ensure performance. This was a crucial step towards developing the best waveform for the program.

The contract for the ESSOR program concludes at the end of 2014, but the program's future is already being planned. Phase two is expected to focus on technical tests in the field, rather than in lab tests.

Radmor, Poland's largest manufacturer of VHF/UHF radio communication equipment, has over 55 years of industry experience and produces a range of military radio communication systems.

The ESSOR program's goals were set in the first decade of 2000s, with a focus on developing compatibility between different national radios and providing reliable data transfer capability. This was driven by the need for interoperability in EU-, UN-, and NATO-led peacekeeping missions.

Successful multinational field tests were carried out in Finland in 2016, using radios from Bittium, Leonardo, and Thales. This demonstrated the potential for joint command and communication between coalition troops.

The ESSOR program is all about improving communications interoperability among European armed forces.

Security and interoperability are the major topics of this program, with a focus on designing architecture and technologies that can be used by all parties.

The program aims to provide a basis for the development and production of software-defined radio products in Europe by 2015.

This will enable the use of a common software-based waveform while each country can still use their own radio equipment as a platform.

A significant motivation for the program was to develop SDR technology know-how in Europe to maintain a competitive relationship in transatlantic cooperation.

The USA's investments in the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program raised concerns in Europe that the available waveforms for European countries would be developed and managed by the United States.

The ESSOR program was launched in 2009 with the first phase focusing on developing a waveform with advanced communication features for interoperability amongst coalition troops.

During this phase, the ESSOR High Data Rate Waveform (ESSOR HDR WF) was defined, simulated, and implemented.

The waveform integration to national radios is now going full speed ahead, with Finland, France, Italy, and Poland leading the way.

Common interoperability testing will be carried out to verify that the waveform complies to the specifications and interoperability is achieved amongst the radios.

The second phase of the program, ESSOR Operational Capability 1 (ESSOR OC1), started in 2018, with a focus on developing the operational capability of the waveform.

The goal is to finalize this phase by the end of 2021.

The ESSOR program was launched in 2009 with the goal of developing a waveform with advanced communication features to achieve interoperability amongst coalition troops in the tactical level.

Six participating nations are involved in the program, with the main objective of providing a basis for the development and production of software defined radio products in Europe within the timeframe of 2011-15.

The program focuses on architecture and improving the know-how of the industries involved, with security and interoperability being major topics.

The ESSOR program is composed of two strands: the ESSOR architecture and the waveform. The architecture has been designed and approved by the six participating companies as a common product.

The waveform has now been finalised and high-fidelity simulations are being conducted to ensure the necessary performance is met.

The plan is to have the best waveform developed and complete implementation on the national platform in one year's time, with the contract concluding at the end of 2014.

Poland is one of the participating nations, with Radmor being the largest manufacturer of VHF/UHF radio communication equipment in Poland, with over 55 years of industry experience.

The ESSOR program aims to develop compatibility between different national radios over the air interface and provide reliable data transfer capability.

The program has already achieved significant milestones, including the first interoperability qualification tests in laboratories during 2014 and 2015, and successful multinational field tests in Finland in 2016.

The integration of the waveform to the national radio platforms started simultaneously with the verification of the Base Waveform, with the first national approval tests being finalized during the spring 2021.

The ESSOR program now includes six countries: Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, and the six industrial partners are Bittium (Finland), Indra (Spain), Leonardo (Italy), Radmor (Poland), Rohde & Schwarz (Germany), and Thales (France).