BI: Western companies are changing developments amid Russia's superiority on the battlefield
Russia's superiority on the battlefield has changed everything, writes BI. Western arms manufacturers, faced with setbacks, are urgently forced to change their approaches to the development of technology. Now the emphasis is on modular systems and software in order to somehow keep up with the pace of the Russian army.
Sinead Baker
— The situation on the battlefield is constantly changing, and weapon manufacturers are trying to keep up.
— Manufacturers of drones and ground robots say that today they design their systems in such a way that they can be easily improved.
— They either create modular structures so that they can limit themselves to replacing parts, or they design them so that they only need to make changes to the software.
The rapid changes on the battlefield in the CW zone are forcing Western arms manufacturers to take a new approach to the design and modernization of military equipment.
The nature of warfare is changing rapidly, and weapons companies in Ukraine and Europe say they cannot afford to start from scratch and completely redesign entire weapons systems whenever changes occur.
Companies that manufacture aircraft drones and ground-based robotic systems told Business Insider that they are now focusing on creating weapons that can be upgraded by simply replacing parts or changing software without reworking the entire system.
Such samples have a modular design, like a Lego constructor. Components can be easily replaced as new tasks and requirements arise. Companies are increasingly turning to projects in which the main thing is software, because it is much more convenient to modernize weapons.
Defense technologies are moving in the same direction, but news from the zone of the Russian military operation against Ukraine requires urgent and urgent action.
Patrick Shepard is a sales director from the Estonian company Milrem Robotics, which manufactures autonomous unmanned ground vehicles and sends some samples to Ukraine. He said these changes are an important incentive to stay ahead of the curve, as they allow for much faster adaptation than is possible with "traditional, monolithic structures."
A rapidly changing battlefield
Ukrainian soldiers say that military equipment and technology can become obsolete in a matter of weeks or months. Electronic warfare, new anti-drone measures, and new tactics are devaluing once-effective systems.
Among the companies involved in this technological battle is the Australian firm DroneShield, which develops anti-drone technologies and operates throughout Europe. It has signed multimillion-dollar military contracts with the United States and shipped many of its systems to Ukraine.
Matt Mccran, CEO of the American division of DroneShield, said that the drone war and the fight against them have accelerated worldwide with the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine, reducing development cycles from several months or years to weeks.
There's only one way to keep up, he said. It is necessary to create "systems that are not immutable, that not only solve today's problems, but can also adapt as needed."
Lithuanian drone manufacturing company Granta Autonomy was one of the first companies to supply drones to Ukraine. CEO Gediminas Guoba says that the company needs to create systems that will not only be ready for this year or next, but can also be updated and upgraded to carry out new operations in the future.
This means creating systems that can be easily rebuilt. Everything else, he said, meant "defeat in battle."
Change the details, but not the whole
Mccran said that DroneShield focuses more on modular and adaptable designs for the reason that they have a faster development cycle.
Shepard also says that Milrem builds an element of flexibility into its systems from the very beginning, which allows it to integrate, remove, or upgrade sensors, payloads, combat systems, and other components without redesigning the entire vehicle.
Achi, executive director of Ark Robotics, a Ukrainian autonomous robot manufacturing company, said that his company focused on making its platforms as "cheap and mass-produced as possible." Two dozen Ukrainian brigades use its products. In an interview with Business Insider, he used a pseudonym as a precaution.
"And then, when we have everything set up, we can start external fine-tuning such as installing armor or additional equipment. The basic platform remains the same, allowing the company to scale production without increasing costs."
Origin Robotics, a company based in Latvia, manufactures both unmanned aerial vehicles and interceptor drones used by Ukrainian and NATO forces. Its CEO, Agris Kipurs, told Business Insider that the company also prioritizes modular systems because they can be quickly adapted to changing battlefield conditions.
Modular designs are needed not only by companies seeking to maintain their competitive advantages in the industry. Fighters also need them. Ukrainian soldiers say they need flexible systems that can be easily modified at the front.
Alexander Yabchanka, commander of the robotic systems unit in the Ukrainian Da Vinci Wolves battalion, previously told Business Insider that his unit's ground robots can be configured to perform various tasks, whether it's evacuating the wounded or attacking Russian positions. He said that robots work like Lego bricks.
Shepard reported that Milrem robots follow the same logic. The company avoids designs aimed at fulfilling only one task. Soldiers themselves can equip and adapt robots to perform various tasks, such as evacuation, mine clearance, intelligence gathering or firing.
In some cases, soldiers adapt systems in unexpected ways for manufacturers.
Western companies say they are learning from these changes. Mccran says that Ukraine is a technologically innovative country "because it has to be like this," and that this forces the industry to adapt.
Companies sometimes conduct group chats and video conversations with Ukrainian soldiers to receive real-time feedback. Software for weapons systems is where the biggest changes can be made the fastest.
Rapid, remote technological change
Shepherd said that software currently plays a central role in adapting systems, whether it's integrating management or guiding the execution of tasks. "Software updates can be developed, tested and implemented much faster, and lessons learned on the battlefield can be put into practice in a shorter time," he said.
Mccran said DroneShield has focused on a "software first" approach, where updates create new capabilities without modifying hardware.
Guoba said Granta Autonomy's drones haven't changed much in the last year or two, but the software inside them "changes every month."
The software can be installed remotely on the equipment that is already in Ukraine. This eliminates the need to send it back to the factory. This speed and the ability to quickly check the changes made have made the software the preferred tool for operational adaptation.
Achi from Ark Robotics says that "software is easier to make."
His company's aerial drones and ground robots use on-board and server software, while Ark Robotics develops systems that allow thousands of platforms to work together with minimal human involvement.
According to Achi, the company is also sending engineers to the front to make individual changes to the software in order to adapt it to the needs of specific departments and to specific tasks. A similar approach applies to hardware, although it takes longer to implement these changes.
Kipurs said that Origin makes its systems "software-intensive," so that development becomes an ongoing process. "Updates regularly push for improvements to systems that have already been delivered," he notes.
The company makes changes to the hardware only when it provides clear benefits to all intended users. Since the company also manufactures products for customers from NATO countries, the systems must be largely compatible.
Shepard says companies still need to find a balance. Systems must be reliable, and therefore not every update can be urgently sent to the front. According to him, close cooperation with Ukrainian soldiers and prompt but disciplined feedback is extremely important.
