How powerful will smart equipment be in subverting future battlefields?

Recently, a number of my country's unmanned intelligent technologies have been publicly reported by the media, including the "self-repair" capability of drone swarms and augmented reality interactive systems that allow a single soldier to control multiple unmanned equipment. Globally, the application of artificial intelligence technology on the battlefield is becoming increasingly popular and gradually showing greater potential. So how are new intelligent weapons and equipment and intelligent logistics support systems likely to subvert the battlefield? What will the "appearance" of intelligent combat methods present?

my country's drone swarm exercises emergency supply at the forefront

Artificial Intelligence is showing its potential

To understand intelligent equipment, it is necessary to first understand the concept of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that involves the research, design, and application of intelligent machines. Researchers develop technologies and application systems that focus on imitating and extending human intelligence. After full practical application, artificial intelligence is recognized as the most disruptive technology that is most likely to change the future world, promote military development, and innovate the form of war.

Against the backdrop of rapid technological development, artificial intelligence technology is gradually entering the military field, leading the future direction of war. At present, all military powers have generally foreseen the broad application prospects of artificial intelligence technology in the military field, believing that the future arms race is an intelligent competition, and have therefore laid out a series of research plans in advance. The United States has even released the "Third Offset Strategy" in an effort to create a generation gap with potential opponents in the field of intelligence.

For example, on November 21, 2019, the U.S. Congress pointed out in its report "Artificial Intelligence and National Security" that artificial intelligence is an emerging innovative development technology that is of vital significance to maintaining national security. In July 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense released a strategic planning document on artificial intelligence technology to strengthen top-level design and promote the rapid development of related technologies. At the same time, the U.S. military has also continued to strengthen the combat use of artificial intelligence technology in high-intensity exercises, local wars and other occasions.

With the rapid development of new-generation information technologies such as information grid, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and big data, the intelligent features of weapons and equipment are becoming increasingly prominent, showing broad application prospects. In the near future, weapons and equipment with efficient command, precise strikes, automated operations, and intelligent behavior will contribute unique "machine intelligence and power."

It is expected that after further upgrading of artificial intelligence technology, unmanned combat forces with intelligent unmanned combat platforms and unmanned systems as the development focus will replace traditional manned combat modes in many aspects and become an important role in leading war activities. Faced with complex battlefield environments, dangerous military operations and heavy combat tasks, unmanned platforms can carry lethal or deterrent weapons to carry out combat or law enforcement tasks by relying on remote control or autonomous operation according to pre-programmed programs, further reducing casualties and relieving pressure while achieving goals.

Looking to the future, with the large-scale practical application of intelligent unmanned combat platforms, future combat styles will further transform. Seeking "high intelligence, zero casualties, and unmanned victory" will become an important trend. Intelligent unmanned combat will become a subversive new combat style that dominates future battlefields.

Upgrade equipment and improve logistics

Intelligent weapons and equipment are weapons and equipment systems that do not require direct human operation and can complete specific tasks independently. They are also a group of weapons and equipment that can automatically find, identify, track and destroy targets.

On the one hand, compared with traditional weapons and equipment, intelligent weapons and equipment have better autonomy and target recognition capabilities, and can autonomously complete the entire process from target search to killing, which is the ideal state of artificial intelligence weapons. Today, intelligent weapons and equipment technology has been widely used in different combat spaces such as space, air, sea, and land.

For example, the US Tomahawk Block 4 cruise missile can complete damage assessment and re-aiming in real time, and autonomously choose the time required to approach and destroy the target. The LRASM long-range anti-ship missile being developed by the US military is expected to sense threats online, change its track in time, identify the target and its key parts, and maximize the strike effectiveness. These are typical examples of intelligent missile equipment.

On the other hand, interactive human-machine integration is a practical requirement for the in-depth application of artificial intelligence technology in intelligent warfare. As intelligent joint operations become the general trend, technologies such as big data, cloud computing, and cloud services are becoming increasingly mature, and the autonomous perception, decision-making, attack, and assessment capabilities of unmanned platforms are gradually enhanced, human-machine integration will move from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, helping combat personnel to see through, judge, and control the battle situation as if they were "on the scene", making manned/unmanned integrated operations a reality.

Sufficient, timely and complete logistical support is a necessary prerequisite for the smooth conduct of modern warfare. As the war form evolves, the logistical support mode that adapts to intelligent warfare will inevitably be adjusted accordingly.

Chinese soldiers wear mechanical exoskeletons and use unmanned vehicles to transport supply boxes

With the further development and application of artificial intelligence technology, various intelligent machines will inevitably appear to help upgrade logistics support: in automatic guided vehicles and smart vehicles, the application of expert systems can assist in improving action routes and operation plans; in the process of material storage and retrieval, the application of expert systems commands robots to perform shelf entry and exit operations; multimedia technology and expert systems can also work closely together to help loading and maintenance machinery personnel with efficient training, operation guidance, remote on-site monitoring, off-site fault analysis and diagnosis, etc.

AI logistics systems are already being used by some countries’ militaries to help assess potential stockpile needs and determine the most efficient way to deliver them. The system is also able to continuously and automatically analyze technical parameters from various sensors in weapons to determine the scope of maintenance work on military equipment.

For example, the U.S. military has purchased an automated logistics processing service system that uses data cloud storage and intelligent processing technology to share data in a timely manner to platform sensors such as transportation equipment. It can also formulate the best logistics supply plans for warships and formations and monitor the implementation effects.

Breaking through the "fog" is more proactive

As intelligent combat equipment and systems are deployed in large quantities on the battlefield, coupled with the ever-changing battlefield situation, commanders are easily trapped in information "cocoons" and cannot extricate themselves. However, as artificial intelligence continues to develop and embed itself into the war process, the demand for intelligent battlefield perception will greatly increase, and the information "fog" on the battlefield is expected to be gradually dispelled.

By intelligently networking various reconnaissance methods, "capturing" the battlefield situation in an all-round and multi-dimensional manner, maximizing information collection and building a database, and then analyzing the data through artificial intelligence technology and fusion-outputting intuitive audio, video, etc., commanders can obtain a more comprehensive and accurate battlefield situation in real time.

On the basis of automated analysis and processing of various types of data, the development of intelligent decision-making and control technology groups can help commanders and staff make intelligent decisions and plans for multiple tasks and achieve autonomous control, which is one of the focuses of future intelligent warfare.

Currently, the US military is developing a command and control system based on artificial intelligence technology, striving to achieve centralized planning from the tactical to the strategic level, and coordinate military operations of various scales in the air, space, sea, land, network and electromagnetic space, which is called "multi-domain command and control."

Russia is developing a new command and control system based on artificial intelligence, and is trying to apply a cross-platform control system between the aerospace forces and the ground forces. It has achieved a closed strike link that integrates target indication, firepower, and electronic suppression methods, and is able to coordinate and organize cooperation between the services to improve joint combat capabilities.

Japan's defense agencies are also developing intelligent information processing systems and are trying to provide layered data support, that is, to provide dynamic information, trend forecasts and response strategies to different objects efficiently and appropriately according to different levels of response.

Compared with the so-called "unmanned combat" that relies on remote control by personnel, intelligent unmanned combat will exhibit different characteristics in autonomous/semi-autonomous motion control, mission planning, command decision-making, mission execution, etc.

Foreign military unmanned boats have been deployed in large numbers on the battlefield

For example, the key to the future intelligent unmanned combat system is "swarm intelligence", including large-scale intelligent cluster ammunition, tactical-level autonomous collaborative drone groups, distributed collaborative planning of joint campaigns, and other clusters of different sizes and styles. Intelligent combat units in the cluster need to share data information, perceive combat situations, coordinate task planning, and force the enemy's defense system to be paralyzed through cluster advantages. The technologies involved include unmanned "bee swarms", unmanned "wolf packs", and unmanned "fish schools" based on swarm intelligence.

In recent years, Western military research institutions have conducted key technology experiments around drone "swarm" warfare, including large-scale grouping of light, small and cheap drones to coordinate reconnaissance, diversified strikes, multi-spectrum interference and other tasks, as well as "loyal wingman" projects with close cooperation between manned and unmanned equipment. These projects have initially demonstrated the advantages and vitality of "swarm intelligence".

However, from the perspective of the essential connotation of war, humans are still the decisive factor and core protagonist of war. No matter how great the combat potential of intelligent unmanned combat forces is, they still need to perform their combat functions under the command, control and surveillance of humans. In this way, human-machine integration will still be the most important force organization principle of intelligent warfare. (Author: Chen Zheyi Wang Zhaolei Image source: CCTV review expert: Jiang Fan, deputy director of the Science and Technology Committee of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation)