MilCAN (Military Controller Area Network)
MilCAN, also known as Military Controller Area Network, is a communication protocol widely used in military vehicles and systems for data exchange and control purposes. It is based on the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, which is a well-established standard in automotive and industrial applications.
MilCAN extends the capabilities of the CAN protocol to meet the specific requirements of military environments. It provides a reliable and robust means of communication between various electronic components, subsystems, and devices within military platforms such as armoured vehicles, aircraft, naval vessels, and command centres.
The main purpose of MilCAN is to enable the exchange of real-time data and control commands between different military systems, including sensors, actuators, weapon systems, communication devices, and mission computers. It supports the integration of diverse equipment and facilitates interoperability, allowing different subsystems to communicate seamlessly.
MilCAN incorporates features to ensure secure and deterministic communication, which are vital in military applications. It employs encryption and authentication mechanisms to protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, it offers deterministic message scheduling, error detection, and fault tolerance to maintain reliable and predictable communication in harsh and demanding military environments.
By adopting MilCAN, military organizations can streamline their communication infrastructure, reduce wiring complexity, and enhance overall system performance. It enables effective coordination, control, and information sharing among various components, contributing to improved situational awareness, mission effectiveness, and operational efficiency in military operations.
MilCAN Specifications
The following specifications are now free to use under the UK Open Government License (OGL):
VRC MilCAN R&D
The VRC has been a long-standing (15+ years) member of the MilCAN Working Group, supporting the development, adoption, and maturity of the MilCAN Specifications. We have developed the official MilCAN Certification procedures and we have helped a number of companies and organisations to better understand how MilCAN works and how it should be properly and efficiently integrated within a system.
We are conducting internal R&D on the internal design on how MilCAN software should be designed to robustly meet the deterministic and operational reliability requirements of the specification.
VRC MilCAN Products
We have developed from scratch our own embedded MilCAN Stack that meets the full MilCAN-A specification requirements. Our Stack is being used in a number of production platforms and systems. We have also created our own MilCAN Module Development Kit that provides a dedicated microcontroller running the MilCAN Stack, and can be connected to any common computing hardware via a standard USB interface. A custom library software allows the the MilCAN Stack to be fully controlled by any user application software.
Updated 2024/06/15