REPORT HOME > Sensors for dismounts – heightened awareness
SEPTEMBER 2024 | TECHNOLOGY REPORT | NIGHT VISION AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Dismounted soldiers today form just one element of a wider, multi-domain network, encompassing a range of sensors. How is soldier-worn technology advancing to enhance tactical situational awareness and help integrate personnel into the wider battlespace picture?
Above: A combination of dismounted devices including NETT Warrior terminals and ENVG-B night vision equipment opens up new possibilities for soldier situational awareness. (Photo: US Army)
This topic is a key focus for the US Army’s Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team (SL CFT), which has worked on such technology as the NETT Warrior communication system and led development, testing and fielding of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), an augmented reality (AR) headset produced by Microsoft.
Colonel (P) Phil Kiniery, SL CFT Director, noted that dismounted soldiers are one part of the wider system that gathers information to shape intelligence and construct a common operating picture.
‘Digital enablers reduce potential misinterpretation of information by providing factual data that can be transmitted much quicker and with greater accuracy to higher supporting echelons,’ he told Shephard. ‘The same digital sensors deliver information to the dismounted soldier. We can finally realise the motto we have had for years that “every soldier is a sensor”.’
Kiniery explained that external digital feeds provide units with footage and imagery allowing more effective planning, greater flexibility and shorter reaction times. This enables engagement from protected positions and reduces the risk of fratricide.
The introduction of next generation weapons and fire control systems will enhance lethality and survivability by identifying threats early and providing the soldier with a suite of capabilities not available historically to most dismounted close combat forces,’ he added.
Improvements in displays and low-light cameras show the potential for future evolution. ‘An increasing number of industry partners are now developing head-up displays similar to IVAS. Industry is also attempting to replace power-hungry LED displays with more efficient micro-LED components that will project information provided by NETT Warrior,’ Kiniery explained.
When pairing Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B) systems with a Nett Warrior device, for example, AR applications can be used to overlay map graphics and blue force tracking for better situational awareness, communication and mission planning on both day and night operations.
Augmented devices
L3Harris manufactures the ENVG-B system along with a range of other such devices. These technologies play a key role in battlespace situational awareness, something that is likely to further expand in the future with increased augmentation.
This equipment can receive data, such as full-motion video, from other battlespace sensors and the addition of features like blue-force tracking or compass and waypoint iconography helps support soldiers by providing an AR view of the battlespace. The company is currently demonstrating such capabilities to customers worldwide, including displaying data directly in the goggle’s field of view.
It is important to provide an open system that can deliver different types of critical information to warfighters, from C2 data to other forms of ISR, said Dario Valli, director of sales at L3Harris. However, it is crucial to focus on the way this information is presented in terms of its ‘scalability, the modularity, the menu approach that can be managed by a squad leader or individual warfighters in a way that is optimised for that particular mission. And when it’s not on, it’s in the background, it’s always available in the moment of need.’
Matthew Renzi, senior director of engineering at L3Harris, said there were four major focuses when it comes to integrating soldiers into a wider battlespace picture. First is the information that is being generated; then there is the ability to process that information locally on the warfighter’s person; third is the ability to display the information; and finally there is the ability of the warfighter themselves to take action on the data.
‘Once you have that system in place, it really becomes a question of how to utilise it to gain the best information that is required for decision-making,’ Renzi said. ‘That becomes a bigger challenge, but having the display and the processing capability really is key to the whole system. It’s all about getting the right information at the right time, to the right person, helping that decision-making and reducing the cognitive overload that may occur.’
Above: L3Harris, which manufactures the ENVG-B night vision system, emphasises the importance of processing sensor data and presenting it to the soldier in a way that can lead to effective follow-up action. (Photo: L3Harris)
Talking about the potential for AI integration, he added that ‘one of the advantages of having an open platform as we do is that we can become a consumer of that kind of capability, working within the application space, understanding where the technology is moving and becoming a key user as it evolves.’
Returning to the broader situational awareness picture, Renzi emphasised: ‘Mobility is driven by your ability to receive information about your direct surroundings. And night vision provides a lot of that. But then wider situational awareness provides an extra step in understanding how you should utilise your environment, beyond just what you can directly see. And that’s a huge advantage.’
Making it work
Almost every Western nation is wrestling with how to make soldier-worn technology work for it, said Ian Rose, engineering lead at QinetiQ. There is no shortage of innovation, he noted, but the challenge is striking the right balance between ‘implementing technology on a soldier and over-burdening them with batteries, equipment and cables’.
The kind of solution that might work in another sector faces far greater logistical and integration challenges in the military domain. Equipment must meet security demands while also working across a wide temperature range and be resistant to moisture, dust and other contaminants, noted Rose. There are also practicalities to consider – for example, ensuring that a chest-worn sensor or computer does not interfere with holding a weapon.
It is vital to consider the security of the data that is received, he added. ‘If you’re measuring something and use it to change your approach, how do you know that data is real and not being manipulated in some way by an adversary?’
QinetiQ is working to address such concerns through its Q40 GNSS receiver, which can be integrated into a variety of devices and meets demands around low SWAP, including for dismounted soldiers. Applications include personal navigation, situational awareness and tactical communications.
The Q40 provides multi-constellation support for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT). It uses single-antenna interference mitigation and its PNT software is designed to detect and mitigate spoofing and cyber threats, according to QinetiQ, as well as enabling survivability in a range of extreme environments.
The focus on resilience must ‘stretch right back into the supply chain’, said Rose, to ensure that data is reliable with high levels of integrity. ‘Can you look into your device and be assured of where everything comes from?’
Joint effort
Dismounted soldiers will play an important role in future Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) or multi-domain operations (MDO) networks by providing agile, versatile capabilities on the ground, including reconnaissance, engagement and localised situational awareness, a spokesperson for Hensoldt told Shephard.
However, there are a range of challenges when integrating personnel into wider networks, they added. These include the need to ensure reliable communication links across diverse domains, integrating data from soldier-worn devices with other platforms and maintaining cyber security.
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Above: Hensoldt highlights cyber security and seamlessly integrating data across platforms and networks as key challenges for developers of soldier systems. (Photo: Hensoldt)
The spokesperson said that soldier-worn technology is rapidly developing to patch dismounts into wider networks, with AR overlays providing critical data like maps and live video to enhance navigation and target identification.
‘AI-driven analytics and machine learning further optimise decision-making processes and automate threat detection, ensuring soldiers are equipped with the tools needed to succeed in dynamic and complex battlefield environments,’ they said.
Finding what’s hidden
Elbit Systems meanwhile has developed the Torch-X Dismounted battle management system, designed to provide infantry with information such as enemy and friendly forces’ locations, delivered to an end-user device.
‘In today’s battlespace, the enemy remains hidden and tries to avoid exposure to UAVs and other aerial threats,’ a company spokesperson told Shephard. ‘This makes dismounted soldiers crucial for finding and exposing the enemy on the ground. The operational challenge is to enhance the soldiers’ survivability and lethality.’
The spokesperson said the company’s major focus is to provide real-time location tracking without relying on GPS, which it believes will reduce friendly fire incidents and shorten the time required for fire support.
The company is also providing AR to soldiers through smart digital weapon sights and glasses systems, the spokesperson added, which will improve situational awareness by delivering information from battle management systems direct to the soldier’s eye in real time.
Above: Key objectives for systems such as Elbit’s Torch-X are avoiding friendly fire incidents and better coordination of fire support. (Photo: Elbit Systems)
Further information
The US Army’s Kiniery said that digital receivers capable of bi-directional information exchange would allow for a harvesting of network resources that is not available with current systems. ‘This means future forces will draw from much larger information repositories while safeguarding sensitive information in an increasingly digital battlespace.’
Fully digital enablers will allow dismounted soldiers to gather and receive information over forward edge computing networks and from the greater enterprise with better clarity, he added.
‘The proliferation of these enablers will improve AI-informed models based on information gathered during missions and exercises,’ said Kiniery. ‘Efforts are under way to address integration challenges and standardise how data is transformed into actionable information and shareable at all echelons.’
Soldier-worn sensors and other devices clearly have the potential to unlock advanced capabilities and provide an unprecedented level of information to squads on the front line. Industry’s key challenges now are to ensure the security and veracity of this data and make sure that dismounts are not cognitively or even physically over-burdened by the plethora of new technologies.
