Leonardo turns to AI to handle future combat air mission data

Leonardo will ready the UK’s Royal Air Force to handle future combat air mission data following the award of a new 10-year contract.

Specifically, the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) agency chose the company to develop and future proof the tools that generate and analyse the data used by the UK Armed Forces’ combat aircraft – for example,the locations and types of threats fielded by an enemy.

Leonardo will be working closely with the MOD’s Joint Electronic Warfare Operational Support Centre (JEWOSC), based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. And the company’s own Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) centre of excellence in Lincoln will lead the delivery of the new contract

“The ability to rapidly update mission data is a vital sovereign capability that ensures our Armed Forces are able to operate effectively in a contested and congested battlespace,” said SVP of Electronic Warfare at Leonardo UK, Iain Bancroft.

“The UK is one of only a few countries in the world that can control its own combat air mission data onshore and we are very proud that our skills and expertise at Leonardo UK underpins this national capability. By working collaboratively with DE&S and our Armed Forces end-users, we are able to maximise our combat air fleet’s survivability and help ensure operational independence.”

Part of the contract is to make it quicker and less labour intensive to refresh mission data, enabling updates between missions. Leonardo says it will be drawing on AI and machine learning to automate parts of the process. It writes:

“The upcoming aircraft being developed by the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and which the RAF will fly from 2035, will gather vast amounts of data through its unique ISANKE (Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects) and ICS (Integrated Communications System). Upgraded mission data tools will be needed to both update the ISANKE system and analyse, sort and interpret the large quantities of data being captured by these types of advanced sensors.”

The RAF already employs Leonardo’s data generation and analysis toolset (called HORUS) at the Eurofighter Typhoon Mission Support Centre at RAF Coningsby as well as the JEWOSC at RAF Waddington.

Image: Ministry of Defence – RAF Typhoon

See also: Leonardo’s Head of Capability wins WISE Lifetime Achievement Award