We had an outstanding discussion on "Rising Demand for Ammunition, Unmanned Systems, and GPS Alternatives." Michael (Mike) Rowe, Vincent Mifsud, and Bob Seddon provided exceptional insights, with Bob's firsthand experiences from the Ukrainian theatre of operations being invaluable.
The recorded session can be found here - https://lnkd.in/dAq5YwFC
Here are my key takeaways:
On Artillery and Ammunition
1. High-intensity conflicts need the mass and intensity of indirect fire systems. Precision-guided systems, whilst effective, are compromised in an EW-dominant environment.
2. The preponderance of drones has made towed artillery systems more vulnerable, and self-propelled guns with protection are necessary.
3. Cluster munitions and artillery with stackable mines have been used to great effect.
4. While there is a supply issue for artillery shells, compromising quality standards is not a solution. A coherent approach to diversifying the value chain and leaning on different markets for different capabilities may help. Sourcing TNT and RDX and excess heavy metalworking, forging, and milling capabilities from the Middle East could be a solution. The key is collaboration, as expanding end-to-end manufacturing will be too time-consuming and expensive.
On Uncrewed Systems
1. Several new trends are evolving, including integration with existing C3 systems, teaming, swarming, logistics support, launched effects.
2. Large-scale teaming could be possible in the future, but it will require more advanced AI systems to be effective.
3. The pace of drone-enabled tactics is intense, and there is a rapid development cycle of offensive applications and countermeasures. Decision cycles, particularly in the West, must be shortened to match this fast-paced development.
4. Solutions like the Baykar TB2 may be untenable for high-intensity theatres like Ukraine; more advanced systems may be required.
5. Countermeasures must be developed using an “onion layer” principle composed of RF/ Directed energy solutions, kinetic effects, and electronic warfare. The deployment of AI in this field is still premature, as AI-based targeting solutions have been proven easy to confuse.
Reducing GNSS dependency
1. Physical terrain mapping, star tracking, eLORAN, and VLEO satellites offer interesting solutions. In the long term, atomic clocks and quantum sensors will be helpful for the “timing” aspect of Positioning, Navigation, Timing (PNT)
2. Modern image processing systems combined with AI has worked well in the terminal stages of an attack, even in the loss of guidance signals
3. This is key, and it is key for forces to invest in developing redundancies to PNT as soon as possible.
Robin Joffe Aroop Zutshi Jan Kristiansen Birgitta Cederstrom Wayne Shaw, PMP Pravin Pradeep Avi Kalo (Adv.)
#defense #unmanned #space #military
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