The Open Architecture Advantage: You can’t predict the future, but you can design for it.

Recent global conflicts are demonstrating how modern threats evolve in just days and hours, requiring operator ingenuity and adaptability to overcome them. This becomes considerably more difficult if operators are unable to easily modify their hardware and software. Put simply, they must outpace the threat – or be outpaced by it.

The fundamental principle of open standards is to create a common set of rules and guidelines accessible to all stakeholders. This empowers users to design, support, or modify their equipment – both hardware and software – to create modular systems for their specific use case. This is designed to include best of breed equipment from other manufacturers, and thanks to its open architecture it all operates seamlessly together. Conversely, legacy systems are often vendor locked resulting in their capabilities stagnating – unable to adapt to evolving threats.

We all benefit from open standards in our everyday lives. Almost all modern smart phones use Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology for charging and data transfer, and nearly all households utilise the global standards for wireless networking – Wi-Fi. We use open software standards such as the Portable Document Format (PDF) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to read universally accessible documents and access websites on the Internet securely. In all these examples, competitors are building their hardware and software using open standards, with consumers benefiting from the performance, adaptability and choice on offer.

Interoperability into operations

On military operations the stakes could not be higher. Adapting to the changing tactics and adversaries is the difference between life or death; being “too late” simply isn’t an option, which is why an increasing amount of our portfolio utilises open standards.

By adopting open architecture and modular design, Leonardo is able to offer capabilities which can be easily upgraded, expanded or modified. These can be integrated without overhauling the entire system, developed in parallel by different teams and thus accelerating timelines. Any pre-existing modules or components can be reused, ultimately saving time and money.

Leonardo is committed to supporting open standards and architectures, active in over 100 bodies across all domains, and is responsible for governing standards including:

• The Open Group, publishers of the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA), adopted by the US Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) and UK Standards for integrated C5ISR Systems/EW (STICS). Leonardo directly supports the UK MOD in its development of UK STICS, as the lead integrator for Team Endure and part of Team Protect. 
• VITA, publishers of several key standards for critical embedded computing architectures used across our industry, such as VITA 65, VITA 93. Standards VITA 90 and VITA 100 are currently being developed, chaired by Leonardo DRS.
• Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA), designed by the UK Ministry of Defence, which Leonardo actively supports through the evolution of Defence Standard (Def Stan) 23-009 - contributing to its maturity while delivering compliant products and integrated vehicle systems.

Open architectures enable our customers to spirally evolve their capabilities, regularly reevaluating their operational needs as the threat landscape changes. Building a software-define system with open architecture means users benefit from rapid change and growth. This change can be implemented by primes, small to medium enterprises (SMEs), or through the ingenuity of the operators themselves.

Leonardo isn’t just adopting a collaborative, open approach with its capabilities and services, but is revolutionising its manufacturing, research and development. Our ‘Future Factory’ integrates traditional manufacturing and supply chains with digital modelling, synthetic environments and automated assurance, decreasing our timescales to delivery and strengthening the quality and resilience our customers expect.

Protecting the public, bomb disposal teams, and infrastructure: Guardian Shield

Guardian Shield is a prime example of Leonardo’s commitment to open standards. An advanced electronic countermeasures (ECM) system for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Guardian Shield combines electronic surveillance and electronic attack capabilities to prevent remote controlled bombs from triggering.  

The system can be deployed in a range of environments, operated by personnel from the military or security forces, and is highly adaptable to protect life and property in the most demanding of threat landscapes.

Designed for service with the British Army, the ECM system comprises two components: a forward deployable element and the surveillance, command and control system. The forward deployable element can be transported in specialist vehicles or the equivalent of a commercial van or civilian 4x4. Once on-scene, it can be moved into position by most medium-sized remotely controlled vehicles (RCVs), or in extremis an EOD operator. This flexibility enables operators to utilise their equipment in whichever way they see fit, depending on the tactical situation and their needs.

Radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (RC-IEDs) are attractive to would-be attackers thanks to the availability of components which are easily modifiable and difficult to trace. Detailed instructions outlining how to construct RC-IEDs are easy to find online, enabling those with nefarious intent to use anything from a mobile phone to a key fob to trigger a bomb.

Designed to counter these threats, Guardian Shield employs electronic surveillance and electronic attack across a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Should a future threat require specialist hardware or software, Guardian Shield’s open standards mean that modifications can be made in hours or days, enabling EOD operators to protect people and places from those bent on destruction.

You can’t predict the future, but you can design for it

Guardian Shield has been aligned with several open standards, including OpenVPX and OpenCPI, two of the most well-established and widely adopted across defence electronics manufacturers. This enables complementary systems using either of these standards to become interoperable with Leonardo’s advanced EOD ECM system.

Developing capability based an open architecture is nothing new; ensuring your architecture is compliant with industry standards means allows a hybrid of best of breed technology can be easily integrated to deliver transformational effect. As with concept of secure by design, planning for the future will reduce, increase capability and deliver operational advantage when and where required.

Get in touch

Attending DSEI 2025? Email the Guardian Shield team to arrange an appointment, drop by the Leonardo stand or visit the British Army stand.