Keynote Speakers

Systems Architects lay the foundation for systems that are likely to be put into use in the near or distant future. The systems' context may have changed by then. Also, putting a system into a context changes that context in sometimes unforeseen ways. A visionary attitude is therefore necessary for the systems engineer/architect.

On the other hand, making a system architecture implies committing to it. The architecture thus has to be realized in the given development timeframe. It is therefore paramount that the architect knows what can be realistically achieved in that timeframe, also considering technological changes.

The systems architect thus has to hop between a realistic atttitude and a visionary attitude. This is the central theme of the key note.

Simulation for acquisition (as opposed to simulation for forces readiness) supports the DGA procurement lifecycle of military systems (Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service, Disposal). Hence, the use of simulation becomes systematic when the complexity tends to increase due to emerging threats: 

• Developing “system-of-systems” solutions requires end-to-end functional testing, where simulation plays a key role by replacing missing real-world systems and by placing them in an operational setting. It is relevant for testing the interoperability and measuring end-to-end performance;
• By enabling better control of technical risks during the design phase, simulation helps prevent costly downstream failure;
• During testing phases, simulation helps limit the number of full-scale trials, select the most relevant ones, enrich the system environment, and ensure better preparation;
• For operational deployment at scale, the rationales are even obvious when it is required to assess the proper functioning involving a large and diverse set of participants and devices;
• Last but not least, simulation also provides a great value for the definition and the validation of new concepts of operation.

As information and communication technologies continue to mature, individual systems are increasingly integrated into expansive networks, forming systems-of-systems that deliver novel services by combining their core functionalities. This evolution introduces heightened complexity, which must be effectively managed to ensure seamless system integration.

You can’t manage what you don’t understand. Understanding complexity is the cornerstone of effective engineering. Leveraging expertise in military information systems and the digital transformation of global institutions, I will explore essential paradigms and decision-making frameworks tailored to managing complexity in system-of-systems engineering.

The beginning of every good story is “I had a dream.” Every innovation starts with a vision and can become reality. Missions are launched, and investors are sought and found. AI, MBSE, and agile development bring innovation to the world of engineering and are the focus of many companies. Digitalization in systems and IT systems and infrastructure help to manage and access the “single source of truth.” Real life is currently playing out elsewhere. It is dynamic, flexible, and pushes cyber-physical system development and system-of-systems to their limits in order to satisfy the market and company management. EMEA faces major challenges here, with some countries doing better and others lagging with all the consequences that entails. This also applies to industry. Systems Engineers must also question themselves: does process follow engineering, or does engineering follow process? The INCOSE Vision 2035 also includes well-known and important topics that are necessary for this development. The existing knowledge and essence of Systems Engineering is unspoken in many discussions and taken for granted, but it is criminally neglected for a successful future. These connections must not be ignored holistically. What we know and what is useful must be transferred to the new world and the new must be embedded. It is up to us Systems Engineers and engineers to take the lead.

Alan will discuss the insights into systems of systems that he has gained both through co-chairing the INCOSE Systems of Systems Working Group since its inception in 2012, and in a career at BAE Systems stretching back to the mid-1980’s where he has been involved across multiple domains including air, land, sea and cyber. He will use the INCOSE SoS Pain Points and the ISO/IEC/IEE 20141 SoS Taxonomy to signpost his practical learning over this period.

The example of the Ukrainian war is showing the whole spectrum of air and missile threat covering a wide diversity of objects, velocities up to IRBM launched into short range trajectories to target civil objectives, HVAs as well as military assets.

This amazing evolution of the air and missile threat requires an evolution of the doctrines applied to IAMD and also of the IAMD weapon systems reactivity and adaptation. This paper addresses the way Thales perceives these transformation challenges from BMD to IAMD through dynamic engagement that can be extended to multi domain.

Over the past 15 years, open source model-based engineering tools like Papyrus and Capella have helped organizations scale MBSE across teams and projects. These tools, along with domain-specific modeling languages grounded in standards like SysML and MARTE, and domain frameworks like the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) and (Service Oriented Architecture) SOA, are used in numerous industrial contexts.
A key enabler behind this diversity has been Sirius, a generic and adaptable platform developed by Obeo. It allows teams to build custom modeling environments without starting from scratch, regardless of the language or method they use and is now the basis of hundreds of modeling tools.