The Terminator? No, it’s UK’s soldier of future
SOON British soldiers will be seeing their enemies rather like the Terminator does.
Looking down the high-tech sights of their rifles, they will be able to tell whether they are facing friend or foe and where the enemy is, even if they can’t see them.
The ‘close combat sensor system’ uses an array of cameras, lasers and audio sensors, to feed information back to the soldier, his comrades and to his headquarters. The system, it is claimed, will revolutionise urban warfare.
A defence source said: ‘It makes assessments of people, where they are and who they are, to ensure soldiers shoot the bad guys and not the good guys. With this kit, British troops will be better equipped than Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator.’
In the sci-fi movie franchise, what the Terminator sees is accompanied by data on what he is looking at.
The soldier’s system will feed back information to commanders from the battlefield so they can both track and guide their troops. Experts in the Min- istry of Defence’s science laboratory said this will help ensure the troops are not targeted by friendly fire.
Dr Ken McEwan, the project’s principal engineer at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory said: ‘It will speed up operations and reduce casualties, particularly in complex urban environments.’
The system’s sensors can identify fire from a hidden position – such as a sniper – by detecting the muzzle flash and sound of a gun’s discharge.
The lasers mounted on their rifles can then highlight the sniper’s position. The system calculates the GPS position of the laser dot and takes visual references from his weapon-mounted camera. It then shows this position on his comrades’ weapon-mounted displays. A series of symbols on the screen guide them to the target.
The position could also be sent to supporting drones or helicopter crews.
Current location systems rely on a GPS signal which can be lost when troops move into built-up areas. With the latest kit, when there is no GPS signal, the system combines data from movement sensors and video images to determine where the troops are.
The kit is due to be ready for testing in simulated combat by around 2020.
‘It will speed up operations’