IRON VISION Contributing to CARMEL Future Combat Vehicle Project
Elbit Systems has concluded extensive testing and carried out a series of successful capability demonstrations of its innovative Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV), as part of the Israeli Ministry of Defence (MoD) CARMEL Future Combat Vehicle project.
The innovative AFV introduces a step change in operational capability for combat vehicles, underpinned by applying autonomous capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate decision-making and facilitate target engagement with dramatically increased rapidity and accuracy. Using a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD), a crew of two operates the AFV under closed hatches, further enhancing capabilities and survivability. The AFV successfully demonstrated its capacity to function as an independent high firepower strike cell, as a networked station for multi-spectral sensing and information fusion, and as a base platform for operating additional unmanned systems.
The capabilities were exhibited by a technology demonstrator integrating a range of Elbit’s systems, among them: the UT30 unmanned turret; the IRON VISION HMD; a land robotic suite; the TORCH command and control (C2) system; E-LynX software defined radios (SDR): the SupervisIR terrain dominance system; the MAY acoustic situational awareness system; several AI applications; and the THOR Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) and PIONEER combat Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV).
The AFV is capable of conducting key combat tasks with high levels of autonomy – off-road driving, rapid target acquisition and prioritisation, as well as fast, high-precision fire missions, by day and night. The AFV is networked, allowing it to carry out missions ordered by headquarters and other platforms, as well as to transmit mission parameters and intelligence to other forces. Additionally, the AFV is capable of operating other unmanned platforms, such as a VTOL unit to feed intelligence into the crew’s operational picture, or a combat UGV to conduct high-risk missions.
Using the IRON VISION ‘see-through’ HMD, a crew of two is capable of operating the AFV in a closed down operational mode. The system transmits real-time, high-resolution video to the crew’s HMDs, providing them with a 360° view of the surroundings, together with relevant symbology and C4I data. In addition, IRON VISION enables the crew to acquire targets, conduct line-of-sight (LOS) driving and navigation and slave the AFV’s weapons systems to their LOS.
