Unmanned harmony at BAE Systems

BAE Systems has demonstrated how unmanned air and land vehicles can work under the command of multiple battlefield commanders to deliver reconnaissance and surveillance information to front-line troops.

According to BAE Systems, the demonstration showed how two unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and two unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) can pass information between themselves and their command centres, while allowing real time control of the vehicles to be passed between different command systems.

‘In this kind of operation, it’s critical that the payload – in this case, vital surveillance and reconnaissance information – and that the tasking of an unmanned asset is transferred quickly and effectively between commanders on the battlefield,’ said Andy Wright, capability augmentation manager for BAE Systems.

The demonstration was part of BAE Systems’ Capability Augmentation Programme, and took place at Apex, the company’s newly developed systems integration, visualisation and experimentation facility in New Malden, Surrey.

Using systems and software technology from across BAE Systems, the demonstration allowed researchers to examine the challenges of managing multiple unmanned air and ground vehicles in a manned environment, as well as planning and re-planning missions based on new mission goals and threats.

The demonstration was the first in a series of trials that will lead to a live vehicle demonstration at BAE Systems’ West Sale test facility in Australia in November this year.