Romsey innovators secure £40m British Army contract to help drive data-led decision making

The next two years of the British Army’s Project ZODIAC are set to be delivered by Romsey-based prime contractor Roke, as part of a new contract worth £40 million.

ZODIAC will see development of an integrated Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) system to better inform decision making on land and help coordinate with allied partners.

It also sets the stage for the introduction of artificial intelligence into the Army’s ISTAR processes, allowing for more efficient operations.

As Prime Systems Integrator for the project, Roke will be focused on building a system which can still work in the intermittent and limited bandwidth environment of the modern battlefield.

MD Paul MacGregor said: “Roke is proud to be leading this important and bold transformation in support of the defence of our nation.

“ZODIAC will pioneer the use of next generation technologies, empowering and better protecting the British Army to think and act faster than our adversaries.

“Innovation is the catalyst for everything we do, drawing on our expertise in data fusion, machine learning and autonomy.”

The company will collaborate with industry partners including 6point6, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Nexor, QinetiQ, and Sierra Nevada Corporation Mission Systems.

Brigadier Pete Drew, Senior Responsible Owner of Land ISTAR, added: “I’m delighted to be working with Roke as, together, we drive the digitalisation of ISTAR.

“Working in collaboration with Roke and their trusted consortium, the integrated team will deliver the core of the Land ISTAR programme that will move us toward a fully digitalised environment exploiting automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence, enhancing decision advantage for the British Army.”

• roke.co.uk