The Indian Ministry of Defence has issued a request for information (RFI) for simulators that can emulate the country's submarine rescue systems.

More specifically, the ministry is procuring two sets of simulators that can prepare Indian Navy personnel for the service's submarine rescue vessel (SRV) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems, according to the RFI that was published in January 2022.

The SRV simulator should be able to replicate rolling and pitching motions of the actual vehicle and feature the same “look, feel, functionalities, man-machine interface, and response time” to the Indian Navy's deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV).

In addition to this, the simulators must be equipped with an instructor station and loaded with courseware and trainee evaluation package that can assess the performance of the trainees. The simulators must be able to replicate common operations related to submarine rescue missions including pre- and post-dive procedures, the RFI indicates.

In addition, the simulators must be able to emulate various environmental variables at sea, including zero-visibility conditions, waves of up to sea state 4, and underwater currents of up to 2.5 kt within a radius of 200 m from the mothership.

Advanced Technology Systems Company MBSS-80 trailer-based border surveillance system – requested by Egypt in October 2020. (Advanced Technology Systems Company)

The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has contracted US-based Advanced Technologies Systems (ATSC) to deliver the Mobile Surveillance Sensor Security System (MS3) Phase II to Egypt, via a Foreign Military Sale (FMS).

The USD93.8 million contract, will involve the supply of “fixed-site surveillance towers, an agile truck based mobile border surveillance vehicle, a Mobile Border Surveillance System Model 1300 (MBSS-1300), a mobile field workshop to perform on-site maintenance, and contractor logistics support”, the announcement stated.

According to ATSC, the MBSS-1300 is an off-road, multispectral sensor-based persistent surveillance system. The company added that it has a 13-metre mast, pulse doppler ground and maritime surveillance radar, high-capacity line of sight PTP/PMP microwave communications data system, high definition ‘HDSD MW 550' electro-optical and infrared multi-sensor, power and data distribution unit, GPS receiver, and auto aligning radio positioner.

Work is expected to be completed by February 2027.

The Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT) has launched a road map to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for future warfare.

The defence-based AI road map – the first of its kind in South Korea – seeks to develop mid- to long-term technology strategies to support the advancement of future military systems, said KRIT, which was launched in 2021 to support the growth of the country's defence technology industrial base (DTIB).

The road map identifies 272 AI-based “core technologies” to advance 30 military systems in areas such as surveillance and reconnaissance, command-and-control, ground sensors, and cyber security.

KRIT said that the road map will be utilised by defence institutions, ministries, and research institutes for planning the development of AI-based defence equipment, discovering new military systems, and supporting the involvement of civilian institutes in the national defence sector.

In a separate release, KRIT indicated that the AI road map is aligned with wider efforts to develop advanced future warfare capabilities. KRIT said that it has identified 12 “future weapons” that are expected to play a role in predicting “future changes in the battlefield environment”.