Operational Assessment of Rafael Sensor-to-Shooter Solution
Rafael has demonstrated FIRE WAEVER, an advanced sensor-to-shooter system leveraging AI decision-aid software and 3D terrain data, to the US Army as part of the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment 21 (AEWE) at Fort Benning, GA, the company announced on 8 February.
FIRE WEAVER is an open, modular software application that integrates with existing battle management systems and other tactical computing assets. It enhances ground combat capability with enhanced situational awareness and the ability to maximize available combat power in GPS-denied environments. It networks sensors and formations, providing a shared understanding on a fully digital common operational picture (COP), enhanced with augmented reality of battlefield intelligence. The result is intuitive situational awareness and a common visual language for commanders and soldiers, enabling them to close sensor-to-shooter loops in seconds.
AEWE 2021 is assessing advanced technologies in support of US Army modernization, including enhancing lethality. FIRE WEAVER is a key enabler for the increased lethality needed by infantry formations conducting multi-domain operations. The demonstration was a joint effort between the Army and Rafael, with the Army providing an operational assessment team and a platoon of soldiers, including combat veterans and junior soldiers from its EXFOR unit.
At AEWE, soldiers used the system to acquire and engage multiple targets, achieving effects in seconds that might traditionally have taken minutes. The AI decision=-aiding algorithms provided target and weapon pairings based on a predetermined set of rules controlled by the commander at echelon, with constant human-in-the-loop presence for tactical decisions requiring lethal force.
The soldiers received half a day’s training and operated the systems by themselves, commenting on its intuitive nature and the difference it would make in combat. They also explained and demonstrated the system to senior leaders from Army Futures Command, DEVCOM, TRADOC, HQDA, and FORSCOM.
“FIRE WEAVER provides the US Army infantry a marked advantage in overmatch. This proven and capable technology is available today for high maneuverability, survivability and lethality. We appreciated the opportunity to demonstrate FIRE WEAVER at AEWE 21 and look ahead to work with the Army on modernization challenges against our future and peer threat adversaries,” commented Lt Gen (Ret) Joe Anderson from Rafael Systems Global Sustainment. The demonstration was part of a larger demonstration of Rafael technologies, including BNET cognitive broadband IP software-defined radio and the SPIKE SR missile.
Following the AEWE 21 demonstration and assessment, Army senior leaders considered FIRE WEAVER and other Rafael enabling technologies for inclusion in future Army Live Prototype Assessments under the Joint Modernization Command, such as AEWE 22 next January, the Maneuver Fires Integration Experiment and Project Convergence 22. In early 2020, Rafael received a contract from the Israeli MoD to supply FIRE WEAVER to Israeli Defense Force (IDF) ground divisions.
For a brief demonstration video, click here:
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