15 February 2021

US Army assesses AI-enabled sensor-to-shooter system

by Carlo Munoz

US army units assessed a new artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled sensor-to-shooter and battlefield situational awareness system by Israel-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, as part of a key army field assessment of advanced combat technologies.

Officials from Rafael and its US subsidiary, Rafael Systems Global Sustainment (RSGS), demonstrated the Fire Weaver system during the service’s Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment 21 (AEWE 21), according to a company statement. Army leaders overseeing AEWE 21 provided programme officials an operational assessment team and a platoon of soldiers to support the demonstration of the Fire Weaver system.

Designed around an open, modular software suite, the Fire Weaver application merges “with existing battle management systems and other tactical computing devices… [supporting] ground combat capability with enhanced situational awareness”, in GPS-denied environments, company officials said in the statement. Aside from networking combat management platforms, the system integrates data collected from sensor systems deployed in an area of operation “providing a shared understanding on a fully digital common operational picture (COP)”, company officials added.

After the sensor and battlefield management data is compiled and merged into a COP, via Fire Weaver’s AI-enhanced software suite, that picture is then transmitted to end-user devices distributed among tactical commander, forward deployed units, and formations. Leveraging augmented reality technologies, the data is merged into a visual COP that identifies points of interest, including potential targets, civilian locations, friendly forces, and enemy positions via laser rangefinder-like end-user device, and in soldier’s weapon scopes equipped with the Fire Weaver application.