21 Jan 21. £102m investment in detect and destroy system for British Army. The British Army has invested £102m in a high-end surveillance system which allows frontline soldiers to detect and engage enemy targets in seconds.
Elbit Systems UK (ESUK) – which currently supports over 500 jobs across the UK – will deliver a state-of-the-art ‘sensor to shooter’ system creating an additional 40 highly-skilled engineering and manufacturing jobs split across Bristol and Sandwich, East Kent.
Utilising state-of-the-art thermal sight technology, the Dismounted Joint Fires Integrator (DJFI) will enhance soldiers’ ability to find and identify targets on the Battlefield. It then provides the crucial targeting information necessary to fire more quickly and accurately than ever before.
Using specialist software on a tablet, information gathered by the DJFI is sent digitally to an artillery system or aircraft to instantly engage the target, while the soldier operating the system remains hidden.
Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said, “This contract with Elbit Systems UK not only delivers the very latest in battlefield technology to our frontline soldiers, but also invests in the British defence industry, sustaining more than 500 jobs across the UK.”
ESUK has also confirmed all five subcontractors will also be UK-based. Additional jobs are expected to be sustained elsewhere through the UK supply chain between now and 2026.
DJFI will deliver six distinct Fires Integration equipment suites – each tailored to specific battlefield mission roles – to be combined with existing hardware and software. The technology is designed to be integrated and used alongside similar equipment used by allied forces, meaning the UK can play a pivotal role in joint overseas operations.
Major General Darren Crook, Director of the Land Equipment Operating Centre for Defence Equipment & Support, the procurement arm of the MOD, said, “Our commitment to equipping and supporting our Armed Forces has never faltered and I am delighted that we have been able to continue to secure state-of-the art equipment for the British Army.”
Colonel Sheldon, Assistant Head of the Army Joint Effects Delivery team: said, “DJFI will enable rapid and highly accurate target engagements. In addition to being fielded across the Army to our fire support teams and joint terminal attack controllers, DJFI will also deliver capability to 3 Commando Brigade, the RAF Regiment and our special forces. This is a key system that will contribute directly to modernising our forces to face future threats.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
Elbit Systems Statement
Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT, TASE: ESLT) (“Elbit Systems” or “the Company”) announced today that its UK subsidiary, Elbit Systems UK Ltd. (“Elbit Systems UK”), was awarded an approximately $137 m (approximately £100m) contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to provide the British Armed Forces with the future target acquisition solution for Joint Terminal Attack Controllers and Fire Support Teams under the Dismounted Joint Fires Integrators (“D-JFI”) program. The contract will be performed over a five-year period.
The D-JFI solution to be provided by Elbit Systems UK, is a networked, passive and active target acquisition solution that acquires, generates and communicates target information to effector systems for effective engagement of joint precision and non-precision fires. The solution is empowered by Artificial Intelligence and will interface with the radio communication systems of the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines.
The D-JFI solution draws on the Company’s operational experience in providing dismounted network combat solutions. It integrates several of its technologies, including: the TORCH-XTM Battle Management Application; the HattorixTM system for undetectable generation of high-precision targets, the CORAL Multi-Spectral electro-optical payload for enhanced target acquisition in day and night and the RattlerTM XR long range laser designator. The D-JFI solution will enable fast and secured transmission of target information across the British and Allied Armed Forces, allowing swift and accurate utilization of artillery and close air support.
Martin Fausset, CEO of Elbit Systems UK, said, “It is essential for our Armed Forces to be able to operate swiftly and accurately in hostile environments. The systems to be supplied by Elbit Systems UK represent our commitment to continuously provide the most advanced technology to those on the frontline. The D-JFI solution will provide operational advantage to the British Armed Forces in an increasingly complex battlefield.”
Employing over 500 people in 10 sites across the UK, Elbit Systems UK has successfully delivered on multiple projects in the UK both independently and in partnership with other British companies, most notably are the Watchkeeper UAV program for the British Army and the the UK MOD Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) program. Elbit Systems UK was also recently selected by the UK MOD to provide the Royal Navy Future Naval Training Program, the MORPHEUS Battlefield Management Application for the British Army and networked simulators to train mounted and dismounted Joint Fires teams and Joint Fires Cells.