Modern battlefields are evolving quickly, with a key problem being uncrewed aerial methods (drones) that may disrupt operations or threaten forces, as seen in Ukraine.
Scientists on the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are working with the British Army, business companions and worldwide allies to check new drone applied sciences and develop AI-enabled capabilities for the battlefield.
Through Project VANAHEIM and the ANVIL laptop imaginative and prescient system, Dstl helps the Army consider gear, enhance operational effectiveness and speed up the adoption of recent applied sciences
Project VANAHEIM: testing counter-drone technology
Project VANAHEIM is a UK–US initiative geared toward countering drone threats and defending troops.
Led by the Army’s RAPSTONE initiative, VANAHEIM makes use of a collection of experiments that place counter-drone technology with gentle infantry models to evaluate efficiency in practical situations. The undertaking identifies what works, what doesn’t, and the way adoption may be accelerated throughout the British Army to tell techniques, coaching, and gear choices.
Dstl labored with 13 business suppliers, the Army Trials Unit, the Joint Effects Trials and Development Group, Soldierworks, and US companions.
Systems had been examined in Germany and Poland throughout summer season 2025, producing priceless operational proof.
Further testing of the system will happen in Lithuania in summer season 2026 underneath the US Project FLYTRAP.
Project ANVIL: laptop imaginative and prescient for goal identification
Separately, and in partnership with the British Army, Dstl has delivered the primary soldier-led growth of Computer Vision Models to assist drones discover and establish targets, combining flexibility with speedy and correct goal identification. Computer imaginative and prescient permits machines to interpret pictures and video utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine studying.
ANVIL operates alongside the FALLING INSTRUMENTS Ground Control Station (FIGS) as a part of an Initial Experimentation Systems (IES) which can be utilized to establish new targets and adapt to altering situations in search and reconnaissance missions inside 24 hours.
This accelerates mannequin retraining and deployment, lowering psychological effort and saving time for operators.
Building on technology from AUKUS Resilient Autonomy and AI Technologies (RAAIT), ANVIL was developed by Dstl, evolving from idea right into a rugged, deployable system.
IES is now being deployed with 3 Army models to construct familiarity with laptop imaginative and prescient on the battlefield and is a crucial constructing block of UK’s effort to develop swarming UAS functionality.