Army to roll out AI-capable comms kits to cut decision time from hours to minutes

British Army troops are set to receive new "AI-capable" radios, headsets and data tablets from September under a contract worth up to £86 million. 

The deal has been awarded to BlackTree Technologies, a UK firm that describes itself as providing tactical communications equipment to the "modern warfighter".

The MOD says the the AI capability is designed to speed up battlefield decision-making, claiming decisions that once took hours can now be made in minutes.

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The Dismounted Data System (DDS) package, as the MOD calls it, includes radios, headsets and display tablets, alongside supporting equipment such as cables, batteries, pouches and antennas.

The £86m figure is made up of an initial £46m contract with options for a further £40m, with the full roll-out due to be completed in 2027.

The kit is designed to link soldiers to the same network, allowing information to be shared either by voice, visual data, or a combination of both, depending on the scenario.

The systems have already been trialled by troops on deployment in Estonia, with the MOD saying the visual element meant soldiers were less distracted by loud battlefield noise.

Brigadier Jeremy Sharpe, Head of Tactical Systems in the National Armaments Director Group, called it a "game-changing capability" as it moves beyond the Estonia deployment.

The kit is designed to help troops distinguish friendly forces from adversaries by providing live intelligence.

The DDS is part of Project Asgard, which was first announced by the Defence Secretary in October 2024.

"Asgard helps double our lethality and exponentially reduces the time to see, decide, and strike," Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Roly Walker, said. "What took hours, now takes minutes."

"Today, the UK possesses a similar Recce-Strike system to the one used by Ukraine to maul Russian forces in the Donbas. That system now sits at the heart of our Forward Land Forces in Estonia," Gen Sir Roly continued. 

Not only does Project Asgard aim to cut decision-making times, but it is also designed to allow soldiers to locate and hit targets at far greater distances.

Almost all of Ukraine's artillery targeting systems are reliant on AI provided by the US software company Palantir.