There is no doubting that the UK’s military capability has been hollowed out over the past 14 years, and that it is going to have to be reversed. The UK, along with most of its Nato allies, have been urged to boost defence spending to at least 3% of GDP on its armed forces and Nato's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, has called on members to spend around 5%.
But while traditional military hardware is critical to the UK’s security – that is armoured vehicles, aircraft and ships - so too are new technologies, whether that’s Artificial Intelligence (AI), drones or autonomous vehicles – today modern warfare is being fought in software, in algorithms, and in digital twins.
The UK government has established a protected £400 million innovation fund within the Ministry of Defence to support innovation in advanced technology, and the MOD’s equipment budget allocates 10 per cent to novel technologies - a strategic pivot that puts technological superiority at the heart of national security.
The review comes at a time when the UK defence industry is set to receive a major boost from additional cooperation with Europe. The recently signed UK-EU trade deal has paved the way for UK companies to access the €150bn European defence fund.
The front line has certainly changed. It now extends from silicon chips to satellite links, from data centres to deployed units and Britain has had to recognise that technological innovation and national security are inseparable.
The future is now
AI forms a crucial part of military operations and advances in AI capabilities will support real-time data analysis and be incorporated into autonomous decision-making frameworks. Whether that’s surveillance, reconnaissance, or combat systems all are going to be merged with AI to enhance both accuracy and efficiency.
Britain’s military will be powered by AI, according to the UK’s defence secretary John Healey, and he has made it clear that AI will be at the centre of the Strategic Defence Review.
“In five years, AI will have had a massive impact in the military and on the battlefield. We can see this already in Ukraine. We have to do a great deal more in defence to get on top and then get ahead and at the cutting edge of this. I want to put the UK military on the leading edge of innovation in Nato on AI,” Healey said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper.
In terms of the UK’s security, it’s unlikely we’ll see massive investment in new ‘kit’ but rather the focus appears to be shifting towards technology and away from purchasing decisions that cost billions of pounds and take too long to complete – the Ajax tanks project took 15 years to deliver a functional vehicle, eight years behind schedule.
So, the review will look more to technology which can be upgraded and innovated in the field. The British military is already trialling AI-enabled tools, where the systems can automatically detect potential threats and select which weapon would be best to target them.
The focus on AI is likely to increase business for companies like Blighter, here in the UK, which designs and manufactures electronic-scanning radar. Unveiled last year the company’s BlighterNexus is an AI-assisted connectivity and processing hub that can be used to automate setup, configuration and adjustment to deliver a level of performance even in changing weather conditions.
Drone and autonomous vehicles
The war in Ukraine is being seen as an example of how the battlefield has changed and has underlined the importance of moving faster with procurement decisions and putting technology at the centre of them.
“80% of the casualties in Ukraine have been caused by drones, not artillery,” Healey said. “For the first time ever, we see battlefield technology which has a life cycle measured in weeks, not months, let alone years.”
To date experts have tracked the deployment of roughly 200 autonomous weapon systems across Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa with Russian forces, for example, having deployed some 3,000 Veter kamikaze drones - capable of autonomously detecting and engaging targets - to Ukraine.
Whether drones or autonomous vehicles, new systems are being and have been developed to enhance lethality, efficiency, and survivability.
There is also significant investment taking place in military robotics, as well as in autonomous systems which are transforming ground operations. Although it’s unlikely we’ll see robots fighting wars just yet, they are having an increasingly important role on the battlefield.
Robots and AVs are being used to scout out enemy camps, to disarm explosives, or haul heavy-duty gear across rugged terrain and it’s a market that’s growing rapidly and is predicted to reach $64bn by 2034.
The examples are numerous and include the likes of the MQ-9 Reaper, a UAV that can cruise at 50,000 feet for over 27 hours collecting intelligence or delivering laser-guided weapons on enemy targets. It deploys infrared cameras, advanced sensors, and a 1,746-pound payload capacity.
On land autonomous tanks can be remotely controlled and the Chinese military have developed the Q-UGV Wolf, a quadrupedal robot that can carry equipment, support reconnaissance missions, and even provide firepower. It can not only traverse rough terrain, but respond to voice commands, which makes it a versatile companion in the field.
The Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR) is an automated battlefield medic that can lift up to 500 pounds, which is enough to carry two fully kitted soldiers at once and transport them to safety.
At sea British engineers based in Portsmouth have successfully demonstrated a new type of autonomous submarine, developed specifically for military use. (See image above).
The vessel, called Herne, is an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV) and has been configured by BAE Systems to enable militaries to monitor and help protect underwater infrastructure, support anti-submarine warfare and to undertake covert surveillance missions.
Trials have shown that the vehicle can successfully conduct a pre-programmed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission. It’s powered by Nautomate, BAE’s agnostic high specification autonomous military control system.
“Herne is a game changer in the underwater battlespace. It will give our customers a cost-effective autonomous capability that will allow for a wide range of missions, end the reliance on crewed platforms, keeping people out of harm’s way and boosting endurance,” claimed Scott Jamieson, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business.
An added benefit of underwater autonomy is that, without the need to resupply or carry life support systems, Herne will be able to patrol the sub surface domain for far longer than a crewed alternative.
According to BAE it can also be upgraded as new technology or ways of working evolve by using open architecture mission plug-ins.
BAE Systems collaborated with the Canadian company Cellula Robotics to deliver the demonstrator configuration of Herne XLAUV and this successful collaboration resulted in a “whiteboard to water” capability in just 11 months, demonstrating the pace at which new technologies are being developed and deployed.
Precision weapons are increasingly being augmented with AI, and high-grade satellite imagery provides a level of transparency that opens up how we see conflict, and importantly, who sees it and when.
According to Will Ashford-Brown, Strategic Insights Director at Heligan Group, “We are seeing ever more transparency in how wars are being fought, and this is driven by the integration of information from satellites, whether commercial low-Earth-orbit cubesats or high-end geostationary military satellites and aircraft.
"Militaries are having to contend with their digital footprints which are left as military personnel and equipment move through our now highly connected world, coupled with the proliferation of rich user-generated content discoverable on social media.
“Conflict is changing, with precision weaponry merging with advances in robotics, autonomy, connectivity, data in the secure cloud, and AI.”
“Pandora's box is well and truly open,” warned Ashford-Brown, “and this combination is leading to armies fundamentally changing. They are no longer soldiers operating equipment and driven by a fixed order of battle, but rapidly evolving, multi-skilled teams capable of bringing to bear innovative tools and techniques rapidly.”
Satellite communications
In a rapidly changing military environment communication needs to be instant, and 100% reliable, regardless of location, and RF has a critical role to play.
The Q/V-band is a key player that could deliver faster, more reliable communication - whether it’s for Earth-based or non-terrestrial networks - but the adoption of the Q/V-band comes with technical challenges.
“Beyond boosting commercial satellite services, Q & V band holds great potential for secure communications, particularly in defence,” explained Tudor Williams, Chief Technology Officer at RF- and mm-Wave specialist, Filtronic. “The narrower beam width at higher frequencies is less susceptible to interception or jamming, which is crucial for military-grade communication systems.”
According to Williams, as frequencies increase, so the signal becomes more focused.
“Lower frequencies spread out, making them easier to intercept. But at millimetre-wave frequencies like Q & V band, the signal is more targeted and less vulnerable to interference. This makes Q/V band ideal for secure communications, particularly in sensitive, high-risk environments like battlefield operations. They are also harder to jam with interferers as the power required would be beyond conventional systems.
“While tactical communications at millimetre-wave frequencies aren’t widespread yet, their potential for better security and more efficient data transmission is driving growing interest within defence sectors.”
Future development
Beyond drones, autonomous vehicles and the deployment of AI, other developments in the defence sector include the use of quantum computing to ‘unpack’ communications and advanced encryption techniques that will transfer information at speeds and security levels previously unimaginable and could signify a radical shift toward enhanced cybersecurity measures, ensuring sensitive military data remains untouchable in the face of global cyber threats.
Energy-efficient vehicles, renewable energy sources, and other ‘greener’ practices are also being integrated into defence strategies, which will improve operational efficiency.
Augmented Reality (AR) too is being used to offer unparalleled advantages in both training and combat, with the possibility of AR headsets being used to provide real-time battlefield navigation assistance and threat detection.
But while all these developments are helping to reshape defence their development and deployment are extremely expensive, covering hardware, software, and ongoing maintenance. The cybersecurity risks are also immense – what happens to autonomous devices deployed in the field that are hacked?
Should a robot decide whether to fire on a target? That’s an ethical question but one that also needs to be addressed.
Autonomous and artificial intelligence-assisted weapons systems are already playing a greater role in conflicts around the world and rising defence spending promises a major boost to AI-assisted military technology.
But does all this mean that we need to establish global rules that govern their development and use? Internationally binding standards remain virtually non-existent despite efforts on the part of the United Nations and experts warn that time is running out to put guardrails on new lethal technology.
In the absence of regulation, autonomous systems are proliferating and there is little in place to ensure defence firms will develop AI-driven weapons responsibly.
