Published 11th December 2018.

DE&S has supported the Army Warfighting Experiment Exercise Autonomous Warrior

Over the past four weeks, British military personnel working with our NATO allies have been involved in a ground breaking exercise – Exercise Autonomous Warrior – on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, to understand how the military can exploit technology in robotic and autonomous systems.

The exercise was tasked with putting prototype unmanned aerial and ground vehicles through combat training scenarios in order to understand how they can reduce the danger faced by troops during battle.

The products were assessed for their capability in support surveillance, resupply, command and mobility.

With over 50 robotic, autonomous and supporting systems undergoing trials, the DE&S Technology Office was heavily involved in supporting the exercise. Responsible for managing the relationships between businesses, academia, international partners and military, DE&S was essential to building strong working relationships between all parties to ensure the innovative technologies were tested to their limit during the trials.

Beyond the investigation into emerging technologies, Autonomous Warrior has provided an opportunity for forces to train, operate and innovate together, adapting the tactics and technology though realistic missions.

This year’s event builds on the successful Army Warfighting Experiment 2017. More information can be found at the British Army website.