Spectral Autonomy

MORA: The Modular Open RF Architecture

Part of the Open Architecture Field Guide. All information is derived from unclassified, publicly releasable (Distribution A) sources.

MORA, the Modular Open RF Architecture, is an Army standard for the radio-frequency signal chain. It standardizes access to RF hardware from antenna to digital, so the same hardware can be shared and reallocated across functions instead of dedicated to one system. It extends VICTORY into the RF domain and is part of the CMOSS suite.

What it does

Radio-frequency systems have each carried their own signal chain: their own antenna, front end, and digital back end, dedicated to one function such as communications or electronic warfare. On a platform running several RF systems, that means duplicated hardware that mostly sits idle, and no way to shift capacity from one function to another.

MORA separates the RF hardware from the processing and standardizes how software reaches it. The antenna and front end become a shared resource that MORA allocates on demand. Communications, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence can draw on the same RF hardware, and capacity can move between them rather than being fixed per box.

MORA shares RF hardware across functionsMORA separates the radio-frequency hardware from the processing and standardizes how software reaches it. Communications, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence draw on the same shared antenna and front end, with capacity allocated between them on demand rather than fixed per box.CommsEWSIGINTMORA · RF resource allocationShared RF hardware: antenna, front end
Spectral Autonomy
MORA makes the antenna and front end a shared resource, so communications, EW, and SIGINT draw on the same RF hardware with capacity allocated on demand.

Where it sits

MORA is part of the hardware family, at the RF layer. It extends VICTORY, which handles on-vehicle networking, into the RF domain, and it is incorporated into CMOSS, running over CMOSS's OpenVPX hardware. MORA is owned by the Army, which makes it a single-service standard.

The hardware family: OpenVPX under SOSA, CMOSS, and HOSTOpenVPX (VITA 65) is the physical foundation. SOSA adds sensor and electronic-warfare requirements, the Army's CMOSS uses it as a ground-vehicle chassis with MORA for the RF chain, and the Navy's HOST is a tiering scheme aligned with it.Built on OpenVPX; SpaceVPX (VITA 78) is the space variant.SOSAsensors, EWCMOSSArmy groundHOSTNavyMORA (RF chain)OpenVPX (VITA 65)cards, modules, and backplane profiles
Spectral Autonomy
MORA sits at the RF layer of the hardware family, within CMOSS on the OpenVPX foundation.

Where this fits

FAQ

What can share MORA-managed RF hardware?
Communications, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence can draw on the same antenna and front end, with capacity reallocated between them.
How is MORA different from VICTORY?
VICTORY handles on-vehicle networking and data. MORA extends the same approach into the RF domain.
How does MORA relate to CMOSS?
MORA is one of the standards CMOSS incorporates, providing the RF-chain layer.
Who owns MORA?
The Army, through its C5ISR Center.

Sources