British Army splashes $86M on AI gear to speed up the battlefield kill chain
(2026/02/10)
- Reference: 1770717612
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/10/mod_project_asgard/
- Source link:
British soldiers are to get an array of AI-ready kit that should mean they don't have to wait to see the "whites of their eyes" before pulling the trigger.
The £86 million contract covers the Dismounted Data System (DDS). According to an MoD statement, "the AI-capable equipment includes radios, headsets, display tablets, cables, batteries, pouches, and antennas."
This will deliver both voice and visual data, thereby "maximizing effectiveness across all battlefield situations."
[1]
The MoD said this digital panoply means troops will receive "precise information on surroundings and intelligence, meaning increased clarity on who are enemies and who are comrades."
[2]
[3]
The kit was already trialed in Estonia as part of the MoD's [4]Project ASGARD . This week's statement said the "visual information element" allowed "soldiers to be less distracted by loud noises on the battlefield."
According to a statement last year, the DDS "harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative communication technologies, allowing battlefield decisions that once took hours to now be made in minutes."
[5]
Around the same time, the Army said "ASGARD uses artificial intelligence and secure communications to help soldiers make [6]faster decisions about targets , saving crucial time in combat."
[7]British military to get legal OK to swat drones near bases
[8]Sword of Damocles hangs over UK military's Ajax as minister says back it or scrap it
[9]Britain's Ministry of Defence signs on the dotted line with Palantir
[10]Future of UK's multibillion Ajax armored vehicle program looks shaky
It added that ASGARD "combines weapon systems, surveillance equipment, automated technology, digital connections and data analysis."
General Sir Roly Walker, Chief of the General Staff, said at the time: "Today, the UK possesses a similar Recce-Strike system to the one used by Ukraine to maul Russian forces in the Donbas. That system now sits at the heart of our Forward Land Forces in Estonia."
In terms familiar to those whose military experience is limited to movies, the aim is to "destroy enemies far beyond the horizon, long before seeing the whites of their eyes."
As well as the DDS, ASGARD includes the DART 250 One Way Effector, a "loitering" jet-powered attack drone that trebles the distance at which enemy infrastructure can be targeted, and a mission support network to accelerate targeting.
[11]
The UK's defense establishment and [12]NATO are racing to adopt AI and other technologies as part of a rapid rearming effort, drawing lessons from how Ukraine has used technology in its war against Russia.
Just over a year ago, British MPs called on the MoD to transform itself into an [13]AI-native organization , saying at the time the department was not "AI-ready," with mentions of AI abounding in policy documents, less so in contracts awarded. ®
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[6] https://www.army.mod.uk/news/new-technology-unveiled-that-will-increase-british-army-lethality/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/armed_forces_bill_drones/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/01/uk_military_ajax_vehicle/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/28/mod_palantir_deal/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/25/uk_defence_grapples_with_ajax/
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[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/sovereign_cloud_is_existential_nato/
[13] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmselect/cmdfence/590/report.html#
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The £86 million contract covers the Dismounted Data System (DDS). According to an MoD statement, "the AI-capable equipment includes radios, headsets, display tablets, cables, batteries, pouches, and antennas."
This will deliver both voice and visual data, thereby "maximizing effectiveness across all battlefield situations."
[1]
The MoD said this digital panoply means troops will receive "precise information on surroundings and intelligence, meaning increased clarity on who are enemies and who are comrades."
[2]
[3]
The kit was already trialed in Estonia as part of the MoD's [4]Project ASGARD . This week's statement said the "visual information element" allowed "soldiers to be less distracted by loud noises on the battlefield."
According to a statement last year, the DDS "harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative communication technologies, allowing battlefield decisions that once took hours to now be made in minutes."
[5]
Around the same time, the Army said "ASGARD uses artificial intelligence and secure communications to help soldiers make [6]faster decisions about targets , saving crucial time in combat."
[7]British military to get legal OK to swat drones near bases
[8]Sword of Damocles hangs over UK military's Ajax as minister says back it or scrap it
[9]Britain's Ministry of Defence signs on the dotted line with Palantir
[10]Future of UK's multibillion Ajax armored vehicle program looks shaky
It added that ASGARD "combines weapon systems, surveillance equipment, automated technology, digital connections and data analysis."
General Sir Roly Walker, Chief of the General Staff, said at the time: "Today, the UK possesses a similar Recce-Strike system to the one used by Ukraine to maul Russian forces in the Donbas. That system now sits at the heart of our Forward Land Forces in Estonia."
In terms familiar to those whose military experience is limited to movies, the aim is to "destroy enemies far beyond the horizon, long before seeing the whites of their eyes."
As well as the DDS, ASGARD includes the DART 250 One Way Effector, a "loitering" jet-powered attack drone that trebles the distance at which enemy infrastructure can be targeted, and a mission support network to accelerate targeting.
[11]
The UK's defense establishment and [12]NATO are racing to adopt AI and other technologies as part of a rapid rearming effort, drawing lessons from how Ukraine has used technology in its war against Russia.
Just over a year ago, British MPs called on the MoD to transform itself into an [13]AI-native organization , saying at the time the department was not "AI-ready," with mentions of AI abounding in policy documents, less so in contracts awarded. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aYsP01hzYlAHtEM-pbRvUgAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[4] https://des.mod.uk/des-helps-deliver-new-lethal-digital-targeting-web-system-to-soldiers/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYsP01hzYlAHtEM-pbRvUgAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.army.mod.uk/news/new-technology-unveiled-that-will-increase-british-army-lethality/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/armed_forces_bill_drones/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/01/uk_military_ajax_vehicle/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/28/mod_palantir_deal/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/25/uk_defence_grapples_with_ajax/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aYsP01hzYlAHtEM-pbRvUgAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/sovereign_cloud_is_existential_nato/
[13] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmselect/cmdfence/590/report.html#
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Movies
Fruit and Nutcase
"In terms familiar to those whose military experience is limited to movies..."
Where machine gun ammo rarely runs out and have fire rates and times that exceed actual capability
Re: Movies
werdsmith
And where 10 people run into a firefight, 20 get killed and all arrive together safely at the end.
Andy Mac
“Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!”
And thus, sunglasses were invented.
I'll be back
BartyFartsLast
Allowing AI to influence battlefield decisions?
Can't imagine that going wrong at all.
I'll get my coat, it's the one with a copy of Zaks, Programming the 6502 in the pocket
Zaks, Programming the 6502
ParlezVousFranglais
That Sir, is definitely worth a pint...
Re: I'll be back
Caver_Dave
AI says all "meat bags" are the enemy. Squadies do as the are told.
Re: I'll be back
I ain't Spartacus
Most/much of It's not really AI - but algorithmic data processing, and short-range networking. However AI and big data are cool, and that's how you get funding, so shut up.
if everyone's got a tablet, then everyone can see the output of the drone(s) you're using. If everyone's microphones are networked, then you can detect, and get a good idea of the position, of incoming drones. Also incoming rounds, if you've got it set up right. Drones can also be detected with electronic warfare systems.
less exciting, but all very useful.
Re: I'll be back
werdsmith
Mine is Lance A. Leventhal. I still have it.
I really enjoyed those simple days.
Bloody Vikings!
If the British Army are going to use Norse names for things then will have to get into training by setting up a new headquarters at Kirkjubæjarklaustur in order to do their training in Fjaðrárgljúfur and on the slopes of Eyjafjallajökull.
Sæll.