UK forces trial drone-robot-artillery network in Latvia as part of NATO exercises
Photo: British troops prepare for war with Russia (Getty Images)
British troops are testing new battlefield technologies in the forests of Latvia and preparing for a possible war with Russia using innovative means, according to Bloomberg.
According to the agency, in 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 could use this system to target the enemy. However, during the exercises in Latvia this month, the aim was to remove something even more important and outdated: traditional paper maps and long weapons-development cycles.
Use of new approaches
The use of new approaches, such as the Cobalt battlefield management system from the British startup Arondite Ltd., is part of the UK Ministry of Defense’s and NATO’s multibillion-pound bet that technology can significantly expand the infantry’s control area.
"NATO is thinking about how it can spread finite resources across a hugely extended new frontier. One of the compulsions now that UK defense has to really grapple with is how we make a smaller army more effective over a larger geographic mass," said Brigadier General Matt Lewis, commander of the 11th Brigade.
Arondite’s Cobalt battlefield management software was used to link troops, drones, robots, and other military equipment into a network during NATO exercises on October 4.
Brigade training in Latvia, only a few hundred miles from the Russian border, was the largest British Army presence in the country since the early 1990s. Two hundred and fifty soldiers trained alongside Latvian and Canadian forces.
Startup involvement in exercises
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 participation helps defense startups better understand the military’s practical needs. It also helps attract ongoing venture funding.
The UK Ministry of Defense intends to sign long-term contracts with some of the companies participating in the exercises to integrate their systems across the army.
British troops prepare for deployment to Ukraine
The UK’s next major military deployment could be to Ukraine. It is reported that Britain is preparing a support package of more than £100 million to cover the initial costs of deploying troops and equipment if a peace deal is concluded.
British soldiers would train Ukrainian forces away from the front line, while the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force would help patrol the skies and seas.
What preceded this
Note that Ukraine and the UK agreed on joint development and production of interceptor drones designed to neutralize mass Shahed attacks that Russia uses daily against Ukrainian targets.
It was also reported that, thanks to ramped-up production by British companies, Britain delivered more than 85,000 military drones to Ukraine in six months, accelerating frontline support.
