Software Defined Defence: Agile for new defence realities
A technical paper based on the presentation by Jakob Purrucker & Sven Lüttich, PLATH at AFCEA on 27 May 2025
Change needs modularity: SDD as the key to responsiveness
In a time of increasing uncertainty - from hybrid threats to geopolitical crises - armed forces and industry are faced with a crucial question: How do we maintain room for manoeuvre in dynamic scenarios? Our answer is Software Defined Defence (SDD) - an approach that rethinks technology, architecture and mission.
How do we maintain room for manoeuvre in dynamic scenarios? Our answer is Software Defined Defence (SDD)
What is Software Defined Defence?
In traditional system architectures, hardware is closely linked to specific software. Changes or upgrades often mean: new equipment, new integration, new tests. This is not only cost-intensive, but also slow - and therefore dangerous.
Software Defined Defence breaks with this paradigm. It decouples software and hardware, creates a standardised environment with clearly defined interfaces and uses proven principles from the cloud world:
- On-demand self-service
- Resource pooling
- Elasticity
- Container architectures (e.g. Kubernetes)
A good example of this is the smartphone: fixed hardware, but an open, standardised platform on which new functions can constantly be created - independently of each other, agile, fast.
Oil tankers, risk transfers and rapidly changing situations
To begin their presentation at the AFCEA, the two speakers Jakob Purrucker and Sven Lüttich pointed out the hybrid danger posed by the 200 or so obsolete tankers carrying Russian oil around the world, according to Greenpeace - many of which regularly travel through the Kadet Channel in the Baltic Sea. The risk of an environmental disaster is real. What's more, some of them ‘forget’ to weigh anchor when they set off, jeopardising critical infrastructure in the form of submarine cables on the seabed. This is precisely where a recurring pattern emerges: we are dealing with scenarios in which threat situations change rapidly - often faster than conventional systems can react.
And this is precisely why, according to the two experts, we need to talk about SDD.
The problem of traditional systems
The challenges faced by traditional systems, such as rigid hardware bindings, slow adaptation to threats or high operating costs with low flexibility, become apparent on a daily basis. These weaknesses block the ability to react - and jeopardise operational effectiveness. Adaptivity and speed are particularly important in multidimensional missions with high data volumes.
A new way of thinking about software architecture
At the heart of SDD is a standardised system architecture. It allows capabilities to be anchored in software - on reusable platforms, independent of specific hardware. The advantage: fast configuration, fast availability. The cloud principles are of central importance in defence - i.e. demand-oriented use of resources, elastic scalability and automated updates and deployment.
Missions are becoming more complex - systems need to keep up
Whether environmental monitoring, hazard reconnaissance or electronic warfare - missions today are highly situation-dependent. This means that they have to meet the challenge of different sensor requirements, rapidly changing situational awareness and ad-hoc missions with immediate start-up.
SDD enables immediate (re-)configuration based on modular setups - even during the mission. The advantages of modular sensor technology (LRU) are tool-free replacement, the integration of new components without changing platforms and scalable capabilities
The backbone: networking through DDS
The real strength of SDD comes in the networked application - for example through the Data Distribution Service (DDS). This distributes data intelligently, prioritises it according to mission and ensures real-time capability throughout the entire system network.
In practice, DDS takes on tasks such as
- Situation picture fusion from sensor sources
- Real-time transmission to command centres
- NATO-compatible interoperability
- Bandwidth optimisation & fallback strategies
- Integration of existing systems
From concept to operational capability
A common objection is: ‘Great ideas - but that takes years!’ Our answer: No! Software Defined Defence is not just theory. Our platforms - including VTOL drones with interchangeable payloads - are already being tested. In close cooperation with partners, we are developing operational demonstrators that are scalable, adaptive and networked.
What is already possible today:
- Mission Ready VTOL with Plug & Play
- Multi-sensor scenarios with DDS networking
- On-the-fly configuration thanks to modular payloads
Conclusion: Now is the time for Software Defined Defence
In today's threat situation, classic system technology is no longer enough. Agility is crucial. SDD offers the technological framework to react quickly, flexibly and interoperably to new requirements.
Let's talk about your application! Get in touch and discuss with us the defence systems of tomorrow - modular, networked, ready for use.