France, Germany Set Common Guidelines for Camp Protection Systems

Jan. 17, 2013 - By JULIAN HALE – Defense News

BRUSSELS — France and Germany have agreed on common interoperability guidelines for camp protection systems following the completion of a three-year European Defence Agency (EDA) project. The guidelines could serve as a basis for future procurement as well as possible European or international standards.

“There’s interest from a U.S. institution and this could be used for international coalition forces,” said an EDA official.

Germany and France jointly launched and financed the project, which was contracted out to Germany’s Rheinmetall D&E and France’s Thales TDA.

“An increasing number of military personnel are involved in Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations and their protection is paramount for the successful outcome of these missions,” said an EDA press release.

Modern camp protection systems have a variety of sensors, including electro-optical and infrared (night vision) line sensors (cameras); additional intruder tracking and/or identification systems; and specified sensors for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Examples of interoperability include combining different kinds of sensors to the central unit of camp protection systems (CPS); information exchange between different CPS systems; remote control of one CPS by another CPS; exchange of spare parts, such as sensors and effectors (interfaces, protocols); using the sensors of one CPS for reconnaissance by another CPS; and combining two systems to a protect a bigger area.

The project enables real-time information exchange between the CPS of different nations (also via SatCom); interoperability of CPS equipment to allow easy and quick replacement of equipment (plug-and-play); multinational use of national systems due to a multilingual human machine interface; and the enhancement of CPS capabilities by adding new equipment.