The Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and the Israeli Elbit Systems unveiled on Tuesday the “The Edge of Tomorrow” project, designed to launch the IDF’s infantry soldiers into the future.
“The Edge of Tomorrow,” apparently taking its name from the Tom Cruise science fiction action film about futuristic soldiers, is a project focused on the development of cutting-edge technologies to improve a range of infantry mission capabilities, including lethality, situational awareness, survivability, stamina, cognitive load, enemy exposure, performance analysis and simulation, command and control, among combat soldiers in the IDF’s Infantry Corps.
The project “aims to strengthen the synergy between individual soldiers and their teams through the adoption of the Soldier as System (SAS) and the Platoon as System (PAS) approaches”
The Edge of Tomorrow incorporates networked warfare technologies, including communications for the soldier and team level, as well as TORCH-X-based applications for team and platoon levels.
The TORCH-X is an overall end-to-end 24/7 integrated solution for situational awareness, mission planning, execution and monitoring, developed by Elbit Systems.
The various technologies include augmented reality goggles, a computerized assault rifle system, a digital head-mounted display system, hostile fire detection technology, a location-tracking system in GPS denied environments, tactile sleeves for navigation and command transmittance, and a voice command system, similar to the one used on smartphones.
The DDR&D’s Department of R&D together with Elbit Systems, the project’s integrator, and additional defense industries recently demonstrated the project’s capabilities at an IDF training center. The demonstration included a simulated response to an operational scenario. IDF soldiers from elite units incorporated the wearable technologies and demonstrated initial abilities in the fields of lethality, survivability, and increased synergy.
Lt. Col. Shlomi Buskila, Head of the LWSOF Branch in the DDR&D, said that Edge of Tomorrow is “an innovative project that is extremely unique thanks to our change in perspective. The project aims to enable optimal operational value for the infantry combat soldiers by strengthening the synergy between them and their team.”
Haim Delmar, General Manager of Elbit Systems C4I & Cyber, said that the technological solution the company has put in place is “based on open architecture which enables the maximization of proven technology by Elbit Systems as well as by additional companies.”
“The project will also incorporate technologies that were developed and adapted to address the needs of the future battlefield with special emphasis on urban warfare,” he added.
