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Conceptually, the Bundeswehr has made good progress on the way to the “glass battlefield”. The second phase of a study on the "glass battlefield" was completed shortly before the end of the year. At the same time, the Israeli state-owned company Rafael presented its "Software Defined Radio" to the Bundeswehr and industry representatives. The demonstration was organized by Atos Information GmbH.

Rafael showed live data traffic with a drone (from Aeronautics Pegasus). With the Fire Weaver Sensor-to-Shooter System, the necessary data was transmitted via the BNET advanced (BNET Hand-Held and BNET Vehicular). BNET is a Spectrum-Aware Software Defined Radio that cognitively exploits the spectral range of the battlefield. It uses Multi-Frequency Channel Reception (MCR), which allows a single RF head to receive and analyze information from numerous frequency channels simultaneously.

Fire Weaver is a networked sensor-to-shooter system that provides tactical forces with a GPS-independent geopixel-based tactical common language between all sensors and shooters. This ensures optimal situational awareness and a better understanding of the battlefield. Fire Weaver uses Rafael's artificial intelligence algorithms, processes the battle data, analyzes it and prioritizes fire allocation.

partnership with industry

In collaboration with Atos Information GmbH, which was the prime contractor for the Transparent Battlefield Study, and which incorporated its C2 software as an integral part of the demonstration, Rafael has developed a program called "Transparent Battlefield" in which unmanned Aviation systems and combat vehicles are used to create a 3D image of mobile operations in real time. The work is carried out for the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support. After completion of the first and second phase, further phases are to follow in the coming years.

Mr. Yoav Wermuth, VP and Head of Rafael's C3I Directorate, explained: “Today's battlefield is undergoing profound changes affecting the operational needs of land, air and naval forces, with emerging real-time applications such as e.g. sensor-to-effector cycle locking systems. To meet these challenges and drawing on decades of experience developing C4I solutions, Rafael has developed the BNET family, enhanced with patented technology, and the Fire Weaver, a high-precision, three-dimensional, GPS-independent, common visual language system. The integration of these systems into the Bundeswehr will lead to a number of significant changes: These systems will provide a common visual language between different unit types, not only Bundeswehr but also allied forces sharing the same threats and missions, and multiple sensors and gunners connect in a single “flat” network.”

Jack Richardson