Fully Integrated Tactical System

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FITS (Fully Integrated Tactical System) is a system that is used on board the aircraft of various coast guards for tactical sea reconnaissance. FITS is predestined for this application because of its real-time display of navigation data. FITS was developed by the Spanish branch of the multinational, European aerospace group EADS , EADS CASA .

Areas of application

In addition to tactical sea reconnaissance, FITS is used in a wide range of other operational areas: in internal security, border security or to coordinate larger police operations. It supports emergency services in drug searches, immigration controls but also in the protection of natural resources: For example, FITS can monitor fishing areas or exclusive economic zones, detect marine pollution at an early stage, or coordinate search and rescue services.

functionality

In such operations, FITS integrates large amounts of information and simultaneously evaluates potential threats. The heart of the modular FITS is an intuitive human-machine interface that increases operational efficiency enormously. In addition to numerous deployment sensors, this system includes an aircraft navigation and communication system that is controlled by an operator using one of four multifunctional consoles. The consoles are interconnected via a high-speed LAN ( Local Area Network ) with central processors, which promises fast processing of all incoming signals. Despite its high level of complexity, the acquisition costs of FITS are low. Mainly because it uses commercially available hardware, standard interfaces and modular software. What initially sounds like mass-produced goods is actually the trump card of this system: Because only with standardized components is it possible to integrate such a large number of sensors into such a system. In addition, these standards guarantee an expansion potential that ultimately ensures the service life of a sea reconnaissance aircraft, which is set for several decades. Depending on the technical progress, numerous other sensors can be integrated into the FITS system in the future.

assignments

FITS is a tried and tested system: the Spanish Air Force is already using it in the modernized P-3 fleet, the Mexican Navy in its C-212 aircraft. This tactical system has also been in operation on board a C-295 since the beginning of 2001 . Further FITS orders are the CN machines of the Spanish sea rescue service " SASEMAR ", the CN-235 of the Irish Air Force and the C-295 machines of the Portuguese Air Force . But on the other side of the Atlantic belongs FITS now standard equipment for surveillance aircraft: The CN-235 machines of the US Coast Guard are also equipped with the FITS technology.

Visualization

The crucial link between users and the information provided by the system is the ILOG visualization technology. In addition to the symbology, ILOG displays the text menus for checking the sensors as well as their recorded video data and the cartography of the area of ​​application. The graphics are easy to adapt, can be operated intuitively and are therefore one of the keys to the flexibility of FITS. Without this flexibility, the response time of the crew would be considerably longer and the entire system would be far less suitable for use on sea patrols, for example. The decisive reason for EADS 'decision in favor of ILOG was the same reason that was decisive during the entire development of FITS: All the systems included are equipped with standard interfaces so that subsequent further development can be carried out with relatively little effort.

Individual evidence