Since the first appearance of the armored fighting vehicles (AFV) in the first World War, AFVs took a major part and dominated campaigns and wars while operating in various rough environments worldwide.
Today’s AFVs face extreme challenges with different threat scenarios, from fighting in open terrains and mountain areas against traditional forces; to the need to fight in an urban environment or take part in peacekeeping missions.
The variety of missions and threats bring challenging implementation of AFVs’ operational requirements. AFVs systems need to provide high manoeuvrability, mobility, and lethality while providing survivability and protection against anti-tank missiles, armor-piercing ammunition, IEDs mines highly.
Operating in various challenging battlefields dictates and emphasises the need for situational awareness and operation in a joint force, with high connectivity, enable the exchanging of massive amounts of information in real-time.
Situational awareness is the perception of environmental elements and events concerning time and space, the understanding of their meaning, and the projection of their future status.
The situational awareness picture integrated by multi-sensor input and intelligence allows the commanding team to make better decisions and respond much faster to the battlefield’s emerging threats and challenges.
The advancement and implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and powering data processing capabilities in situational awareness systems, integrated with multi-sensor systems, brought a new and modern dimension to the lethality, survivability, and connectivity of AFVs.
Those new capabilities dimensions and improvements based upon the AI capabilities support the AFVs commander and the crew members in carrying out tasks and responsibilities within the vehicle and the fighting force.
Based on high-end technologies and a dozen years of battlefield experience and insights, a system considered a breakthrough in the realm of the AFVs introduced by Nir-Or Ltd. from the IMCO Group.
Nir-Or Ltd introduced an operational concept that integrates an artificial intelligence-based situational awareness system with an advanced multi-layer sensors system for AFVs.
The system presents 360 degrees video system, Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) and tracking overlayed on the video stream, and the “Bird Eye View” (an integrated optical radar view, combines intelligence and all sensor threats analysis surrounding the vehicle).
Using the sophisticated AI capabilities, the system learns new threats and adopts them into the decision-making process.
The Nir-Or’s system supports the AFV’s navigation and operation of the weapon systems and hard-defense measures integrated into the AFV.
The system connects to the various command and control systems, intelligence systems, and off-board sensors.
The advanced system can be integrated into autonomous vehicles in the future.
-The writer is a former commander served in the Israeli navy for 23 years. A PhD in Defense and Security Studies, he was a senior consultant at the Israeli National Cyber Directorate. He is a recipient of various Israeli awards including Prime Minister’s Decoration of Excellence. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
