British troops in the forests of Latvia are testing new battlefield technologies and preparing for a possible war against Russia using innovative means, Bloomberg reports.
According to the agency, at an improvised command center on an abandoned Soviet airfield on NATO's eastern flank, British soldiers used a specialized network to communicate with drones, robots, and artillery.
In the future, soldiers of the 11th Brigade may use this system to target the enemy. However, during exercises in Latvia this month, the goal was to eliminate something more important and outdated: traditional paper maps and lengthy weapon development cycles.
Use of New Approaches
The use of new approaches, such as the Cobalt battlefield management system from British startup Arondite Ltd., is part of a multi-billion-pound bet by the UK Ministry of Defence and NATO that technology can significantly expand the infantry's control zone.
“NATO is thinking about how to allocate limited resources on an extremely expanded new frontier. One of the mandatory tasks that the UK defense is currently dealing with is how to make a smaller army more effective,” said Brigadier General Matt Lewis, commander of the 11th Brigade.
The Cobalt battlefield management software from Arondite was used to integrate troops, drones, robots, and other military equipment into a network during NATO military exercises on October 4.
The brigade's exercises in Latvia, just a few hundred miles from the Russian border, marked the largest presence of the British Army in the country since the early 1990s. Two hundred fifty soldiers conducted exercises alongside Latvian and Canadian forces.
Involving Startups in Training
They were joined by a dozen technicians from defense firms, including Arondite, ARX Robotics, Anduril Industries Inc., IDV Iveco Group NV, and L3Harris Technologies Inc.
As the simulated conflict unfolded, industry representatives reviewed data and then discussed the results with the 11th Brigade. Such close involvement helps defense startups better understand the practical needs of the military. It also helps attract ongoing venture funding.
The UK Ministry of Defence intends to sign long-term contracts with some of the companies involved in the exercises to integrate their systems across the army.
British Troops Prepare for Deployment in Ukraine
The next major military deployment for Britain could be Ukraine. It is noted that the UK is preparing an aid package worth over £100 million to cover initial costs for deploying troops and equipment if a peace agreement is reached.
British soldiers will train Ukrainian military personnel away from the front lines, while Britain's naval and air forces will assist in patrolling the skies and seas.
Leave a comment