The Bundeswehr set an “important milestone for future combat operations” at the Army Combat Training Center at the Altmark military training area near Hillersleben at the beginning of December: for the first time, a “drone-based reconnaissance and action network and so-called loitering munitions were brought into action live together”.
According to the Bundeswehr, various technologies based on artificial intelligence had to be closely interlinked in order to achieve this milestone.
According to a recent press release, this reconnaissance and strike network consisted of various reconnaissance drones, AI-supported command and control software and so-called loitering munitions from various manufacturers. “The Bundeswehr is thus one of the first armed forces in the world to start using unmanned swarm systems.”
Testing was carried out under the leadership of the Bundeswehr Planning Office in close cooperation with the newly established Bundeswehr Innovation Centre, the Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut für Werk- und Betriebsstoffe (WIWeB), the Centre for Digitization and the German Army. On the industrial side, more than ten companies were involved – including the German loitering ammunition manufacturer Stark and drone manufacturer Quantum Systems. drone manufacturer Quantum Systems.
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Uwe Horstmann, CEO of the company: “The successful trial is a strong signal and underlines the strategic importance of Loitering Munition for the Bundeswehr. For us, however, this development is above all proof that the close, trusting partnership between industry and the Bundeswehr is the decisive factor for success. Only through this close cooperation can we ensure that innovative technologies such as loitering ammunition are tested by the troops as quickly as possible and continuously developed further in order to guarantee the operational readiness and protection of our soldiers in the long term.”
The Command & Control Unmanned Management System Bundeswehr (C2-UMS Bw) developed by the German Armed Forces played a central role in the test. This software can be used to combine different types of drones and weapons as well as their respective control software into a single effective system.
The Bundeswehr is thus beginning to NATO-concept of “Multidomain Operations” (MDO). The orchestrated cooperation in the dimensions of land, air, sea, cyber and space is intended to help overwhelm the enemy in order to achieve its own advantages. The implementation of this approach includes the comprehensive digitalization of the Bundeswehr, the introduction of future technologies and the use of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence to support decision-making.
According to the Bundeswehr, the successful experiment “provided practical proof of the effective use of loitering munitions and laid the foundation for the use of AI-based systems in combat”.
Here for further reports on the Bundeswehr, here to further news from Quantum Systemsand here to our drone topic area with all the latest news on the subject.
