Overview#
When NATO's Steadfast Defender exercise runs parallel air, naval, and ground scenario threads across six nations, each thread is its own simulation federation with hundreds of entities. Keeping all of them visible to a unified command view requires an architecture that goes beyond simple multicast. HLA, the IEEE 1516 standard simulation architecture, was mandated by NATO precisely for this kind of complexity. A Runtime Infrastructure (RTI) manages the federation: the group of simulation applications (federates) sharing state in a coordinated exercise. Each federate publishes and subscribes to object classes and interaction types defined in a Federation Object Model, and the RTI brokers all exchanges.
Argus integrates with Portico-compatible RTI instances. Portico is the most widely deployed open-source HLA RTI, and it supports the REST management interfaces that Argus uses to pull federation object instances. Those instances are mapped to Argus operational units via the NETN (NATO Education and Training Network) entity model, then placed on the common operational picture alongside live data sources.
Open Standards#
- IEEE 1516.1 (High Level Architecture): The core simulation interoperability standard that this capability implements; Argus connects to Portico-compatible RTI instances as an external observer, consuming federation object instances published by IEEE 1516.1-conformant federates.
- NETN 3.0 (NATO Education and Training Network FOM modules): Entity mapping is performed via the NETN-ENTITY, NETN-MRM, and NETN-LBML FOM object classes, ensuring compatibility with standard NATO exercise federation schemas without per-exercise configuration.
- SISO-REF-010 (Simulation Interoperability Standards Organisation Entity Type Enumeration): The EntityType attribute on ingested NETN objects is decoded using the SISO-REF-010 enumeration, providing standardised identification of platform and munition types across allied federations.
- IEEE 1278.1 (Distributed Interactive Simulation): DIS Entity State PDUs are fused with HLA federation entities on the same operational picture, enabling combined live/constructive exercises that mix IEEE 1278.1 and IEEE 1516.1 sources.
- WGS 84 (World Geodetic System 1984): ECEF position vectors published in NETN Spatial attributes are converted to WGS 84 geodetic coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) before storage and display.
- Cursor on Target (CoT) / TAK: Ingested HLA entity positions are relayed to TAK-ecosystem endpoints (ATAK, WinTAK) via CoT XML, enabling live-virtual-constructive integration where field troops see simulated opposing forces on their devices.
Last Reviewed: 2026-03-18 Last Updated: 2026-04-14
Key Features#
Portico RTI Federation Polling#
The hlaPollFederation mutation connects to a Portico RTI via the Portico client, retrieves full federation metadata (federate count, object instance count, active status), and downloads all current object instances. Object instances are mapped to Argus unit records via the NETN entity adapter, which translates NETN entity attributes (callsign, entity type, position, velocity, status) to the Argus unit data model.
NETN Entity Model Support#
The Portico client implements NETN entity-to-Argus-unit mapping, supporting the standard NETN 3.0 object classes used in NATO federated exercises: NETN-ENTITY, NETN-MRM, and NETN-LBML. This ensures compatibility with standard NATO exercise federation schemas without per-exercise custom configuration work.
Federation Inventory#
Query registered federations and ingested entity positions via hlaFederations and hlaEntities. Federation records include federate and object-instance counts, giving exercise controllers a real-time view of what each federation has published to the shared simulation state.
Classification-Safe Data Handling#
HLA entity records carry secrecy_level tags. Classified exercises where entity movements reveal genuine order-of-battle information can be tagged accordingly, restricting visibility to cleared personnel within the Argus deployment and preventing unauthorised access to sensitive simulation data.
EDF Audit Trail#
Every federation poll that ingests entity data generates an interop ingest audit entry, providing a complete record of when simulation data entered the system and from which federation.
Use Cases#
- NATO Exercise Command View: During Trident Juncture, Steadfast Defender, or Cyber Coalition, connect Argus to the exercise RTI and display all federated entity positions on a classified operational picture overlaying real geographic data.
- Live-Virtual-Constructive Integration: Allow real TAK-equipped ground troops to see simulated opposing force entities from the HLA federation on their ATAK devices, bridging the live-virtual boundary.
- Multi-Federation Aggregation: Connect Argus to separate RTI instances running parallel scenario threads (air exercise, naval exercise, cyber defence) and display all federation entities on a unified map.
- Post-Exercise After-Action Review: Record all ingested HLA entity states and replay entity movements annotated with exercise event timeline entries for commander debrief.
Integration#
Available via GraphQL: hlaFederations, hlaEntities (queries); hlaPollFederation (mutation). All operations require authentication and organisation scoping.
Standard: IEEE 1516 HLA / Portico RTI. Compatible with Portico 2.x and RTI instances that support REST management interfaces. Works alongside DIS (complementary simulation protocol), Link-16 (live data fusion), and the NETN 3.0 entity model.