The Army tests the foot combatant system developed by Indra and GMV

Indra and GMV took a decisive step forward in the development of the Foot Combatant System (SISCAP), after carrying out an operational demonstration in the Infantry Academy of Toledo with this solution which reinforces the soldier's communication, information and fire efficiency capacities. 

As a result of an R&D programme financed by the Ministry of Defence through the General Sub-directorate of Planning, Technology and Innovation (SG PLATIN), the progress of this new development is being supervised by the General Directorate of Armament and Material (DGAM). 

Indra and GMV's objective is to equip combatants with advanced technologies to operate in digitalised theatres of operations, where they will have to operate in a network with systems adapted to the new concept of combat cloud. 

Each of these soldiers will have a visor attached to their helmet which, thanks to augmented reality, will allow them to visualise the route to be followed, the position of their colleagues and receive different tactical indications on threats and identified targets. It will also have both day and night scopes, personal cameras (visible and thermal) to collect images and an advanced radio that will position it by satellite and allow it to transmit voice and data, as well as configure different groups to coordinate. 

The standard issue weapon will incorporate its own sights and cameras that extend the range and accuracy of fire and give you the ability to fire indirectly, so that you can see the image captured by the weapon's sight in your helmet sight so that you are not exposed when you turn a corner or enter an enclosed area. It will also incorporate controls to manage communications without releasing the rifle and to prevent fratricidal fire. 

The platoon leader will have a tablet connected to the battlefield management system (BMS) carried by the army's armoured vehicles, thus integrating the unit into the chain of command. 

In exercises conducted last month at the Infantry Academy in Toledo, a platoon of legionnaires evaluated the system by simulating a reconnaissance mission and other day and night surveillance missions. They also conducted various day and night firing tests. The next and final test that SISCAP will undergo in the coming months will add to this equation the presence of the 8x8 Dragon armoured vehicle, which will act as a communications node between the unit and the tactical command and control centre. 

Indra's UTE manager, Gregorio González, explains that "the system will provide the soldier with the most advanced digital capabilities and will provide him with a situational awareness of the highest level, by giving him a vision enriched with the information gathered by all his colleagues and other deployed means" and adds that "one of the great advantages of the system is that it is modular and scalable, which allows adapting it to the mission to be carried out, ensuring maximum ergonomics and minimum weight". 

This modularity allows, for example, the addition of electronic aids to discriminate between friendly and enemy forces, infrared cameras, image intensifiers, laser designators or image magnifiers, as appropriate. For more complex missions, soldiers can even be equipped with palm-sized micro-drones to reconnoitre the area and minimise risk. SISCAP's open architecture will allow for the incorporation of new functionalities in the future, such as the use of artificial intelligence to discriminate targets, check the status of combatants and facilitate system maintenance. 

Indra and GMV's objective is to close this first development phase this year, delivering the first seven functional prototypes in platoon leader configuration.

In subsequent phases, the possibility of manufacturing a first pre-series of 40 or 50 systems will be studied, with a view to their evaluation in real operations, and then, from 2030 onwards, their manufacture on a larger scale. 

The work of Indra and GMV in European projects such as ACHILE and GOSSRA, financed by the European Commission, has generated important synergies and contributed to the development of this solution. At the same time, SISCAP is part of the Army's Force 35 initiative, which places the soldier at the centre of its modernisation strategy.