“Sensor fusion technology is more than just about integration across domains, it’s about interpretation and interoperability and having information relayed to allow for real-time collaboration.” Sierra said, adding: “In addition, militaries need universal compatibility and supplier hardware to be agnostic and sensor fusion, we believe, is crucial to this goal.”

As militaries are increasingly looking to multi-domain operations and putting more information at the centre of warfighting, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor fusion technologies is becoming increasingly important.  

While networking sensors brings the benefits of more data, it also presents challenges in terms of processing and potentially overloading personnel with information turning tools that are supposed to improve operations into ones that hamper them. This is where AI comes in, helping to sift through information and sensor feeds automatically to only put the information absolutely necessary in front of commanders.

Commenting on AI, Sierra said: “AI is at the core of defence technology and thus a cornerstone in research and development at 7Technologies – allowing us to keep pace with, and anticipate, customer and end-user needs.

“The military today needs a cross-domain battlefield solution, and this is where i7 sensor-fusion technology is a first in this niche surveillance market, combining instantaneous front-end analysis and reporting to allow decision-makers to form quicker, often life-critical, decisions.

“Of course, in line with governmental and customer priorities, we will continue to support the end-user by the development of purpose-built technology and products.”

In the US, sensor fusion is a key part of efforts towards Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) which would see all branches of the US military merged into a single network. 

JADC2 is seen by the US Military as a tool that could link sensors and shooters and help to decide the best unit to attack a threat, whether it be land, air, or sea-based. Key to its development is the pursuit of developments in artificial intelligence, automation and networking. 

The US market is one 7Technologies is interested in, Sierra said: “The US market is very advanced, and you only need to take a look at the strategy, and funding, behind the JADC2 programme to witness this. It is designed to help integrate multiple domains, weapon systems, and sensors to allow decisions to be made faster, and so troops can have a clearer understanding of any given environment in which they may find themselves.

“There also exists a clear mandate, and appetite, for technology that uses artificial intelligence to aid and deliver everything the DoD has within its armoury – from body-worn technology to ground vehicles and airborne drones. 

“This is exactly where we sit as an organisation and why we have personnel on the ground in the US having conversations about how we can integrate our very own sensor fusion technology. We not only see opportunities within the US but also with other allied nations.”

Sierra said the sensor and sensor fusion market was ‘changing rapidly’, adding that while surveillance in a theoretical sense hadn’t seen much change over the past decade, the technology that enables it had evolved rapidly. 

Sierra added: “We are transitioning now at great pace into an era where the tools and training that supports and supplements surveillance are driven by a new breed of innovation.”

Following the UK’s Integrated Review of Defence, Security and Foreign Policy, 7Technologies announced its new I7 sensor fusion technology. The company says i7 is designed to provide ‘relevant, real-time information’ to the right person at the right time.

The company says i7 technology can be deployed ‘across almost limitless platforms and across bandwidth contested environments’.

Commenting on the tool, Sierra added: “Our recently launched i7 Technology, with scalable human-machine teaming, sits at the heart of potentially hundreds of system sensors to provide relevant, real-time information to the right person at the right time.

“So, it’s only natural that the sensor fusion system market is progressing, and from our perspective at its core is the ability to deliver accurate and real-time situational awareness, which can mean the difference between a successful mission and loss of life.”

// Main image: 7Technologies sales director Jason Sierra