By Gabriel Ani
LONDON (chatnewstv.com) — British soldiers will begin receiving thousands of new AI-capable radios, headsets and tablets this year under a contract worth up to £86 million aimed at speeding up battlefield decision-making and reducing friendly fire incidents, the Ministry of Defence said Sunday.
The contract has been awarded to UK-based BlackTree Technologies and covers advanced tactical communications equipment designed to rapidly share reconnaissance and intelligence data among troops. Officials said the new systems will allow commanders and soldiers to receive clearer, faster information in combat.
The equipment, known as the Dismounted Data System, or DDS, includes radios, headsets, display tablets, antennas, batteries and related gear. By linking all soldiers on a single network, the system provides real-time voice and visual data tailored to different battlefield scenarios.
“The ability to receive, share and deploy accurate information is crucial to battlefield advantage, and this state-of-the-art technology will make our soldiers more integrated and more lethal,” Defence Minister for Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard said in a statement.
The Ministry of Defence said the technology has already been tested by British troops deployed in Estonia on NATO’s eastern flank. During the trials, soldiers reported that the visual information reduced distraction from loud battlefield noise, allowing them to focus more effectively on their surroundings.
An initial £46 million contract has been signed, with options for a further £40 million. Deliveries will begin in September, with the full rollout expected to be completed by 2027.
Brig. Jeremy Sharpe, head of tactical systems at the National Armaments Director Group, said the programme builds on earlier deployments. “We are delighted to be building on the successful deployment in Estonia last year and looking forward to working with BlackTree Technologies to bring this game-changing capability to more of the British Army,” he said.
BlackTree founder and managing director Neil Clements-Hill said the company had worked closely with the Army for years on earlier programmes. “We are excited to be working with the TacSys team to field this cutting-edge technology to the British Army,” he said. “Waveforms ensure that the Army can operate in the most demanding environments, when nothing else works.”
The Defence Ministry said the contract will create 12 new defence industry jobs in Tewkesbury, Hereford and Birmingham and supports the government’s push to increase spending with small and medium-sized UK companies.
The announcement comes as the government commits to its largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, with funding set to reach 2.6% of gross domestic product from 2027. Officials said the DDS programme also supports the Army’s goal of doubling its lethality by 2027 and advancing broader plans to move to a warfighting-ready posture.
