The gateway is based on the NATO STANAG 4677 standard and will enable the exchange of information between the New Integrated Marines Communications and Information System (NIMCIS), the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps tactical C4I system, and the Smart Vestsoldier system that is also in development as part of VOSS.
It is being designed to work with NIMCIS, which is based on the ComBAT Infrastructure and BCIP 5.5 system used by British Armed Forces. The NIMCIS programme was awarded to General Dynamics Mission Systems – UK in 2005.
The initial contract is for a short study phase during which the detailed requirements and design for the gateway will be developed. The contract will also see the development of a proof-of-concept gateway for use in technical testing and user validation trials in March 2017.
The gateway software is derived from General Dynamics Mission Systems – UK’s NetLink product, which is the datalink translation technology that is also used as the core of the Interoperable Gateway for Universal Access Networking Applications (IGUANA).
Steve Rowbotham, Vice President of General Dynamics Mission Systems – UK, said: “We have worked closely with the Dutch Marines for a decade in delivering the C4I capabilities they need, and this latest proof of concept programme demonstrates how the NIMCIS system can be extended to meet the emerging requirements of our customer.”
General Dynamics Mission Systems NATO Netherlands Netherlands MOD NIMCIS