The introduction of BAE’s capability into the exercises comes after the Army has been experimenting with other AI-aided target recognition tools during the 4th Infantry Division's Ivy Sting series of experiments.
Brent Ingraham told Breaking Defense that the service’s ongoing Transformation in Contact exercises will help inform leadership on what weapons and platforms it will and won’t go forward with as part of the ATI.
Do more with less: streamline workflows, reduce duplication, invest upfront to save long-term.
Though the Army said “the scope and organization of a soldier experiment for self-propelled artillery is still being defined,” the RFI suggests that the service is primarily looking for US-made and -manufactured solutions.
“Is it really the right answer to have a brigade carrying around 3D printers in the back of a truck trying to print 100, 400, 500 of these things at a time, and fabricate them while on the move so they don't get targeted by the enemy?” asked Col. Nick Ryan, director of the Army Capability Manager for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
“Is a full-year CR going to have an impact? Yes, it is,” said Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Karl Gingrich. “Is it going to have a dramatic impact? In my opinion, no.”
“The strike company is designed to be the lead echelon of the battalion, which combines manned and unmanned sensors in order to make contact with the enemy and to attrit enemy forces before they come in the range of our traditional infantry companies,” Col. Joshua Glonek told Breaking Defense.
Midsized companies can offer flexibility and agility while keeping intellectual property in the hands of the government.
“Maybe it didn't work the way we wanted to, but we have the capability of giving feedback to the Army, to development, to industry to try and make it work a little bit better,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Shaun Curry.
"Our Ukrainian partners, because of necessity, are pushing the boundaries on how they do [3D printing] — both at the tactical level and all the way back at their depot system as well. The world has a lot to learn from how our Ukrainian partners are working," Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan told Breaking Defense.
“We cannot [just] rely on ... bring out the laser and it'll fix it all,” said the 101st Airborne Division’s Commanding General Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia.