Around 350 British soldiers have tested new approaches to countering aerial threats without having to step out of their tanks, as the army adapts to drones becoming a constant presence on the battlefield.
At the core of the concept is a shared digital battlefield picture, built by linking live data from drones launched off mobile armored vehicles.
This allows tank crews and dismounted troops to operate from the same real-time feed, improving coordination and situational awareness.
Deployed during Exercise Senne Hussar, the approach is designed to compress decision-making timelines and reduce reliance on higher-level command communications.
The British Army also fielded its Find and Strike Squadron for the first time, combining reconnaissance drones and strike elements within a single unit to identify targets faster and engage them at longer ranges.
The exercise took place at the Combined Arms Tactical Trainer facility in Germany, giving troops a controlled environment to test new systems before moving into live training scenarios.
Adapting to Modern Threats
Soldiers also experimented with a new high-cut helmet that allows tank crews to clip in communications headsets when moving between vehicles.
This enables troops to maintain connectivity without adding equipment burden during fast-paced operations.
These developments form part of the UK’s Plan for Change program, aimed at modernizing the armed forces and improving readiness against modern threats.
“We are turning up the dial on army modernization. It’s about becoming more ruthlessly lethal,” said Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Kearse, commanding officer of the Queen’s Royal Hussars.
“We need to think about how we want to fight conceptually, followed by what we want to fight with.”
