Introduction
The UK Military of Defence (MOD) is expected to gain swarms of autonomous drones from military tech company, Elbit UK. The information-collection unmanned vehicles are designed to allow for as few casualties as possible with its remote surveillance software.
But why drones? Is there a particular benefit to drones over the insight of human witnessing? We are taking a look at the use of the Elbit vertical take-off and landing systems and why the MOD has embraced the new technology. Read on for all the details.
What is happening?
The MOD is working to gain swarms of autonomous drones from Israeli company Elbit Systems UK.
As part of the British Army’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) project, Elbit is providing five swarms of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (or VTOL) drones for use in automated UAS (or Unmanned Aerial System) mission management. The five swarms are made up of six UAS systems, which will be used to gather information remotely for use on the front lines.
The systems used on the drones will be the TORCH-X C4ISR, which is known for its use in situational awareness. The TORCH-X consistently displays an air picture, allowing front line military operatives to assess the situation ahead of them and create a plan on how to move forward with the information offered by the system.
Elbit Systems UK CEO Martin Fausset has pointed out that Elbit UK has a strong history of offering innovative UAS solutions to military operations. He went on to add that TORCH-X RAS’s advanced autonomy and integration capabilities are intended to have a positive effect on the British Army as support for its ongoing enhanced information gathering, which is imperative to keeping front line military operatives safe.
What are the Benefits of Drones?
Drones are becoming a big part of military operations. The drones from Elbit Systems UK are designed purely for information gathering, which can be hugely beneficial to avoid casualties and other negative consequences of military operations.
They allow defence systems to not put the lives of their military members at risk with remote data gathering, unliked manned air vehicles like jets, and they also avoid further casualties with the data gathering capabilities on the drone system. This means that operatives can see the thick of the action without actually being in the thick of the action. They can gather information on the people, the landscape, note exits and protection, etc. and then decide on the mission. In turn, less civilian casualties will also occur as the information collected allows for a more precise mission with less room for mistakes.
This is also a very affordable option for the military since drones take less hardware than a jet and less maintenance. And yet, they are on the cutting edge of technological advancements and offer a range of new options for military missions.
Summary
Drones allow for fewer casualties between military and civilians due to the information gathering within the technology allowing for remote situational awareness, which is an invaluable tool in the modern military.
