The UK Ministry of Defense has announced that the British Army has invested $137 million (£102 million) in a high-end surveillance system allowing frontline soldiers to detect and engage enemy targets in seconds.
According to a press release, Elbit Systems UK Ltd, a business unit of Israeli company Elbit Systems, will deliver a state-of-the-art ‘sensor to shooter’ system creating an additional 40 highly-skilled engineering and manufacturing jobs split across Bristol and Sandwich, East Kent.
Utilizing state-of-the-art thermal sight technology, the Dismounted Joint Fires Integrator (DJFI) will enhance soldiers’ ability to find and identify targets on the Battlefield. It then provides the crucial targeting information necessary to fire more quickly and accurately than ever before.
Using specialist software on a tablet, information gathered by the DJFI is sent digitally to an artillery system or aircraft to instantly engage the target, while the soldier operating the system remains hidden.
Elbit Systems said the D-JFI solution draws on the company’s operational experience in providing dismounted network combat solutions. It integrates several of its technologies, including: the TORCH-XTM Battle Management Application; the HattorixTM system for undetectable generation of high-precision targets, the CORAL Multi-Spectral electro-optical payload for enhanced target acquisition in day and night and the RattlerTM XR long range laser designator. The D-JFI solution will enable fast and secured transmission of target information across the British and Allied Armed Forces, allowing swift and accurate utilization of artillery and close air support.
Martin Fausset, CEO of Elbit Systems UK, said: “It is essential for our Armed Forces to be able to operate swiftly and accurately in hostile environments. The systems to be supplied by Elbit Systems UK represent our commitment to continuously provide the most advanced technology to those on the frontline. The D-JFI solution will provide operational advantage to the British Armed Forces in an increasingly complex battlefield.
