On November 10, 2022, the British Ministry of Defense published an article about its participation in Project Convergence, an exercise organized in the United States with Australian and American forces.
Allies from the UK, US and Australia demonstrated the integration of advanced technologies alongside key industry leaders, in a series of experimental firsts.
The event, Project Convergence 2022, examines how the use of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and autonomy can improve situational awareness on the battlefield, connecting sensors to shooters and by accelerating the speed of decision-making.
At Fort Irwin in California, the UK deployed 450 troops and 17 technologies were demonstrated and tested, including long-range fires, unmanned aerial systems, autonomous combat vehicles and next-generation sensors.
The Rangers worked with Special Operations Forces and the US 75th Ranger Regiment to explore the deployment and use of the British Army’s new Special Operations Brigade and Ranger Regiment.
For the British element of the project, 450 British Army troops, under the UK’s 20th Armored Brigade Combat Team (20 ABCT), were supported by more than 20 scientists and engineers from the Science and Technology Laboratory of the defense.
Experimentation, science and research enable better data capture and analysis to identify successes and address challenges in future battles. Backed by industry partners, PC22 was a comprehensive show of force from the British Army’s modernization leadership.
Participating in the project, Defense Procurement Minister Alex Chalk said:
Delivering on our ambitions outlined in Future Soldier and the Integrated Review, Project Convergence highlights the progress the British Army has made towards becoming a more lethal, agile and expeditionary force, through key collaboration with our long-standing international allies and partners. date.
The project also saw a number of other firsts for the UK:
- A British air surveillance radar (Giraffe) connected to an American network to control and manage targets (normally an American only system) for battlefield data sharing.
- ZODIAC, a British artificial intelligence-enabled decision support system that can help commanders make decisions, has been connected to American “sensors”, providing information to a multinational intelligence network.
- An American F35 fighter jet started fires for a British GMLRS missile platform, without a person needed in the loop, cutting the strike time from minutes to seconds.
- The UK made American parts using 3D printing, helping them restock on hand and share engineering designs for vehicle and weapon parts.
- UK HoloLens (augmented reality lenses) have been used to help logisticians and maintainers repair equipment with the help of a technical expert halfway around the world.
- Supported by the 1st Signal Regiment, an intricate multinational network was established that allowed the 20th Armored Brigade Combat Team to quickly share information with our international partners.
- In a significant collaboration between the new Experimentation and Trials Group, TommyWorks, DE&S and our industry partners, the British Army’s first autonomous robotics-enabled Close Combat Platoon from 2 YORKS has been digitally integrated with our allies for the first time.
Through tri-national collaboration, Project Convergence has put a renewed focus on how data can be turned into actionable information across weapons systems for the UK, our allies and our partners. The support provided by the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has resulted in the collection of a wealth of data and analysis that will be used to identify how best to use these technologies in the future.
The 1st Cavalry Division participated in Project Convergence 2022, an experiment providing opportunities to access future combat strategies, including how the multi-service, multinational force can work together to detect and defeat threats from Sept. 29 to Nov. 9 in Fort Irwin, California.
FORT IRWIN, California
11.09.2022
Sergeant video. Daniel Brayton
Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
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