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Armour piercer
Recent conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine, have seen small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) increasingly used to identify, target and attack armoured vehicles directly or indirectly. Tallha Abdulrazaq reviews the recent history of UAVs in combat, how they have been used against tanks and armoured vehicles, and what tacticians are now doing to enhance the survivability of the tank on the modern battlefield.
All eyes on AI
AI offers vast potential for defence forces, from enhancing speed and efficiency in decisionmaking to protecting personnel by automating hazardous tasks, and more. Nicholas Kenny speaks with Hugh Woodward head of HQ and strategy, Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre (DAIC), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), to learn about the DAIC’s work to drive responsible AIenabled capabilities and the benefits that this can offer the UK’s armed forces.
Knowledge is power
Navies around the world are embracing new ways of harnessing technology to support platform readiness, such as using digital twins to manage predictive maintenance of vessels, thereby reducing the risk of delay in maintenance periods and maximising the effectiveness of maintenance planning. Martin Morris talks to Tiedo Tinga, professor of life-cycle management at the Netherlands Defence Academy and professor of dynamics-based maintenance at the University of Twente, and to a spokesperson for the French Fleet Support Service at the Marine Nationale, to find out how such programmes are being put into practice and what benefits are being seen.
€328 million order in Romania: Rheinmetall to modernize NATO partner’s air defence systems
The Romanian ministry of defence has contracted with Rheinmetall to thoroughly modernize the country’s Oerlikon GDF 103 air defence artillery systems. For the Düsseldorf-based technology enterprise, this is the first ever major order from Romania, a NATO and EU member state. Worth around €328 million, the contract encompasses the delivery of four systems as well as training, spare parts and other services. Two systems are to be delivered within the next two years, and two more within three years.
Trust the processor
Militaries across the globe are experimenting with artificial intelligence to enhance their war fighting capabilities, but challenges remain over how to implement these tools. Gary King speaks to Brigadier Stefan Crossfield, principal AI officer at the British Army, and Shimona Mohan, research assistant at Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, to learn how armed forces can build trust between soldiers and AI systems, and the potential legal and ethical ramifications of using autonomous weapons.
In the driving seat
Automation is hardly a new technology in terms of military logistics, being used in some form or other for the past 60 years or so. However, ongoing advances in this area offer the potential to revolutionise logistics, and armed forces in the West are looking into how best to implement these systems – particularly when it comes to supply trucks. Gordon Feller speaks to Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute; Sagie Evbenata, senior research analyst at Guidehouse; retired Major General Simon Hutchings OBE, master general of logistics with the Royal Logistics Corps; and Michael P Noonan, senior fellow at the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, to learn more.