Plug-and-fight is the military equivalent of
plug and play
In computing, a plug and play (PnP) device or computer bus is one with a specification that facilitates the recognition of a hardware component in a system without the need for physical device configuration or user intervention in resolving reso ...
as applied to commercial and personal computer systems. Plug-and-fight refers to the capability of certain large military systems such as the
Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) to automatically recognize and assemble various system elements, like sensors, weapons, and control nodes, into a single integrated supersystem or system-of-systems. Plug-and-fight systems can be rapidly reconfigured without interrupting operations – adding, removing, and rearranging system elements in response to evolving threats and changing defense strategies. The architecture of such modular systems is often described as netted-distributed. Sensors, shooters, and
tactical operations center
A tactical operations center (TOC) is a command post for police, paramilitary, or military operations. A TOC usually includes a small group of specially trained officers or military personnel who guide members of an active tactical element durin ...
s (TOC) simply act as nodes on the network, and a military commander can dynamically add or subtract these elements as the situation dictates without shutting the system down.
Plug-and-fight system elements connect to an open wired or wireless communication network through a standardized interface, and have the ability to interact with other system elements on that network to accomplish specific combat objectives. To maximize product applicability, and to ensure the general acceptance of system developers, any plug-and-fight standardized interface should be based on
protocol
Protocol may refer to:
Sociology and politics
* Protocol (politics)
Protocol originally (in Late Middle English, c. 15th century) meant the minutes or logbook taken at a meeting, upon which an agreement was based. The term now commonly refers to ...
s and standards that are widely recognized, well defined, strongly controlled, and non-proprietary. Modern examples include
Ethernet
Ethernet ( ) is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...
, IP, TCP,
CORBA
The Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) is a standard defined by the Object Management Group (OMG) designed to facilitate the communication of systems that are deployed on diverse platforms. CORBA enables collaboration between sy ...
, and any specific message structure that can be freely disseminated and used without licensing.
MEADS
Meads is an area of the town of Eastbourne in the England, English county of East Sussex. It is at the westerly end of the town below the South Downs.
Boundaries
The local government ward of Meads is extensive, stretching from Birling Gap in ...
was the first system to use standardized integrated Air and Missile Defense protocols. It was designed with plug-and-fight capabilities to support data exchange with external sensors and launchers through standardized open protocols for integrated air and missile defense (IAMD), so that MEADS elements can interoperate with allied forces on the move, attaching to and detaching from the battle management network as necessary. In November 2011,
MEADS
Meads is an area of the town of Eastbourne in the England, English county of East Sussex. It is at the westerly end of the town below the South Downs.
Boundaries
The local government ward of Meads is extensive, stretching from Birling Gap in ...
system elements successfully performed a simulated engagement against real-world air and representative missile threats demonstrating plug-and-fight capabilities.
The
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
''
Integrated Battle Command System'' (IBCS) is in development since 2004. It is part of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) program, which aims to create an integrated network of air defense sensors and missile launchers using a suite of open standardized protocols.
[Theresa Hitchens (11 Aug 2021) JROC's Next Target: 'Integrated Air & Missile Defense']
/ref> IBCS control stations will replace engagement control stations (ECS) in Patriot missile system, along with seven other forms of ABM defense command systems.[{{cite web , url=https://breakingdefense.com/2022/01/armys-ibcs-passed-f-35-sensor-data-to-artillery-system-at-project-convergence-21/ , title=Army's IBCS passed F-35 sensor data to artillery system at Project Convergence 21 , date=20 January 2022 ] AN/MPQ-53, AN/MPQ-65/65A and GhostEye (LTAMDS) in Patriot missile system,[Sydney J. Freedberg Jr]
Army IBCS: Joint, Up To A Point
Breaking Defense. 15 May 2020 GhostEye MR in NASAMS
NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, also known as Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) is a short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and RTX Corpor ...
, MFCR and SR in MEADS
Meads is an area of the town of Eastbourne in the England, English county of East Sussex. It is at the westerly end of the town below the South Downs.
Boundaries
The local government ward of Meads is extensive, stretching from Birling Gap in ...
, AN/TPY-2
The AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar, also called the Forward Based X-Band Transportable (FBX-T) is a long-range, very high-altitude active digital antenna array X band surveillance radar designed to add a tier to existing missile and a ...
in Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in th ...
(THAAD)[Jen Judson (27 March 2019) Army debuts missile defense framework in move to counter drones, hypersonic threats]
/ref> and Ground-Based Midcourse Defense
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), previously National Missile Defense (NMD), is an anti-ballistic missile system implemented by the United States of America for defense against ballistic missiles, during the midcourse phase of ballistic t ...
(GMD),[ ]AN/SPY-1
The AN/SPY-1 is a United States Navy passive electronically scanned array (PESA) 3D radar system manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and is a key component of the Aegis Combat System. The system is computer controlled and uses four complementary an ...
and AN/SPY-6
The AN/SPY-6 is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) 3D radar system developed and built by RTX corporation, formerly Raytheon, and in service with the United States Navy (USN). It provides integrated air and missile defense for Flight ...
in Aegis BMD,[Tyler Rogoway]
Here’s What The Army’s Long-Awaited Super Air Defense Network Can Actually Do
The Warzone. October 29, 2020 and AN/APG-81 in Lockeed Martin F-35 Lightning II.Jen Judson (6 August 2019) F-35 talks to US Army's missile command system, says Lockheed
/ref> This network of sensors will be controlled by IBCS engagement control stations[Jen Judson (20 August 2019) US Missile Defense Agency boss reveals his goals, challenges on the job]
/ref> which will be able to take fine control of army-fielded air-defense systems like Patriot and THAAD, directing radar positioning and suggesting recommended launchers, while naval, aerial and Marine systems will only be able to share either radar tracks or raw radar data with the IBCS network.[ The Army requires all new missiles and air-defense systems to implement IBCS support.][Sydney J. Freedberg Jr]
New Missiles Must Work With IBCS Network: Bruce Jette (Exclusive)
Breaking Defense. March 09, 2020
References
Military technology