Key Points
- Elbit Systems is playing a central role in the Israeli Ground Forces' digitalisation programme
- The IDF's ultimate aim is to allow all of its units to communicate with each other in real time
Israel's Ministry of Defense awarded Elbit Systems a USD117 million contract to provide the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Ground Forces with the "next generation" of command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) systems, the Israeli defence company announced on 15 January.
Under the contract, which will be carried out over the next six years, Elbit will develop future versions of the Digital Ground Army (DGA) command-and-control (C2) system, which tracks in real time all ground unit activity, and provides greater battlefield autonomy to mid-ranking field officers such as battalion and company commanders.
According to the contract announcement, Elbit will also develop, supply, upgrade, and maintain communications systems, including wideband radios.
Elbit president and CEO Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis said that producing the next generation of military communications "further strengthens our position as world leaders in this field".
ANALYSIS
DGA is one of the C4I Branch's flagship projects and it has in recent years become the primary C2 system for the Israeli Ground Forces.
Installed and operated in IDF units by the C4I Branch, it connects all field units and command levels into a single data transfer network and generates an interactive digital map showing the location and actions of friendly and hostile forces.
DGA reports in real time when a tank or artillery gun fires munitions or shows their precise position, and displays the movements of armoured and infantry units.
It is fed by a growing number of electro-optic sensors operated by the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps, which is tasked with inputting the position of hostile forces so other users of the system can see them on the digital map.
The system has been hailed by senior officers in the IDF C4I Branch as a significant technological breakthrough that helps shorten the sensor-to-shooter cycle.
According to the officers, the system also allows unprecedented inter-branch co-ordination between the Ground Forces, the navy, and the air force, all of whose C2 systems were interlinked during Operation 'Protective Edge' in Gaza in July-August 2014.
In addition to DGA, the C4I Branch is currently in the process of introducing several new military communications systems. These include a radio over internet protocol (RoIP) communications network that will operate throughout the IDF, connecting regional commands, the General Staff, and field units to each other.
Additionally, a direct user-to-user tactical communications system that is designed to allow any platform or unit to speak directly to one another is under development. It would allow a naval missile craft to co-ordinate its firepower directly with a battalion commander, or a tank to send and receive information from a combat helicopter.
Other projects under development include a highly encrypted visual intelligence distribution system and a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) landline system connecting all fixed IDF sites. In 2016 the C4I Branch also plans to unveil a fourth-generation high-speed data military cellular network.
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