Army Seeks to Improve Levels of Interoperability

Textron Systems’ SYNTURIAN ground control station offers UAS operators the ability to control multiple unmanned vehicles simultaneously and to view an integrated operational situation on a single display screen.

The system’s ability to coordinate multi-domain air and surface missions – coordinating the activities of drones, unmanned surface vessels and ground robots simultaneously, for example – will have a dramatic effect on accelerating sensor-to-shooter times and enabling tactical commanders to make faster, better informed decisions.

US Army planners are currently working with what is known as ‘level of interoperability 3,’ which enables APACHE attack helicopter crews to interface with airborne drones in the immediate vicinity. SYNTURIAN has been designed with this technology in mind, it seems – and the system is also compatible with Textron’s iCommand C2 suite, a visual management system that links people, platforms and payloads in real time.

Tim Mahon