A survey on Battlefield Management Systems: Architecture, challenges, and future research directions

Battlefield Management Systems (BMS) serve as critical software platforms that integrate communication and control. This survey provides a comprehensive overview of Battlefield Management Systems (BMS) and their integration with the Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT), highlighting key architectural components such as IoT-enabled command and control (C2), Software-Defined Networking (SDN), and various forms of ad hoc networks, including Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs), Flying Ad-hoc Networks (FANETs), and Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs). The study identifies three major challenge areas: security threats, resource limitations, and network resilience. It reviews existing solutions and outlines future research directions that could lead to more robust and adaptive battlefield networks, enhancing real-time decision-making and operational coordination in military environments.