Indra and Thales Unveil the Next-Gen Digital Nexus for Dominating the Battlefield in Spain

Indra, a prominent international technology and consulting firm and a significant contributor in the global defence technology sector, along with Thales, a worldwide technology authority in the defence, aerospace, security, digital identity, and transportation markets, have finalized the advancement of the updated version of the Battlefield Management System (BMS). This solution stands as the most sophisticated and effective tactical command and control system available, empowering the Spanish Army to maintain dominance during missions on the ground.

A contingent of Spanish Army paratroopers, participating in a simulated international peacekeeping operation, has been deployed to neutralize a verified threat: adversarial forces have established positions in two districts of a crucial city. All air-deployable vehicles utilized by the unit are outfitted with Indra and Thales’ BMS tactical command and control system, which allows them to ascertain the precise location of every team member in real time as they move toward their objective. Additionally, infantry personnel are involved in the exercise, advancing stealthily and utilizing text messaging for coordination instead of verbal communication. Each soldier operates a rugged tablet that connects to their tactical radios via Wi-Fi, maintaining communication with the command chain and other units. The entire team receives orders simultaneously, updated with mission plans, along with images and videos of the target.

Upon hearing gunfire, a soldier exits the vehicle to assess the surroundings. She marks the sniper’s location on the digital map displayed on her screen to alert the other units of the danger. Concurrently, she receives a notification that another unit has identified an improvised explosive device in a nearby street. The unit seeks assistance to disable the explosives, prompting the commanding officer to dispatch a group of sappers to join the ongoing operation alongside the remaining deployed forces. Mission command closely monitors all developments from the base and prepares supportive fire in automatic alignment with artillery units.

This instance represents just one of the scenarios recreated by the 6th “Almogávares” Paratrooper Brigade, stationed at the “Príncipe” Base in Paracuellos de Jarama near Madrid, during recent drills aimed at assessing the new iteration of the BMS system.

This upgraded version features unparalleled capabilities to function in challenging bandwidths typically available for tactical communications. This guarantees that the system performs efficiently in the most intricate environments, where communication is hindered and hostile forces continuously attempt to obstruct it. The system is equipped to exchange not only text and images but also real-time video feeds.

The BMS seamlessly integrates with NATO standards, rendering it interoperable with systems from allied nations. It empowers commanding officers to make on-the-spot adjustments to the order of battle, facilitating an immediate response to unforeseen circumstances.

Indra and Thales’ BMS is also linked with the Army’s logistics management system (SIGLE) to optimize and automate inventory oversight, as well as connecting with other Army systems through the standardized IDT interface for the exchange of tactical data.

During the exercise, the SYNAPS radio was evaluated as well. This high-capacity tactical radio, featuring ESSOR SCA architecture, is a bi-band (VHF/UHF) and bi-channel device designed specifically for collaborative combat and continuity of command chains. The SYNAPS capabilities foster unit integration through interoperability with the existing PR4G combat radios of the Army and the potential to incorporate new functional features and services into the BMS-ET in the future, ensuring security, integrity, confidentiality, and resilience of communications. Furthermore, it presents Brigade 2035 with the opportunity to minimize its logistics footprint by fulfilling communication requirements with a single radio station rather than three, utilizing one VHF channel while simultaneously benefiting from the high bandwidth offered by the UHF channel. At the Command Post, integrated within the BMS-ET, real-time video was streamed from an observation unit located over 10 kilometers away.

The Army has already engaged in actual missions abroad with the previous version of the BMS system, which has demonstrated excellent effectiveness in enhancing coordination and interoperability with allied forces.

The growing digitization of the battlefield has rendered data an essential element for any military to achieve superiority over adversaries. The Spanish Army has collaborated with Indra and Thales on this cutting-edge system for many years; an endeavor that has positioned it at the forefront of European command and control technologies.

In a world where the future of defence becomes increasingly intricate, characterized by a variety of scenarios and pervasive sensors in constant movement, the core of the Army still lies with the combatants who require advanced technologies. These innovations enable them to perform their missions in collaboration with allies while also providing critical data for swift and informed decision-making. Thus, the BMS has emerged as a vital tool that supplies and manages all necessary information swiftly, ensuring the mission’s success. It can be viewed as the foundation for the forthcoming combat cloud, where all systems and platforms, manned or unmanned, will be interconnected, forming a complex adaptive system with agile operations and seamless information exchange as key components.

The technological advancements achieved by the Spanish Army empower the nation to spearhead ambitious European initiatives and pioneer the development of next-generation strategic operational command and control systems beyond the tactical level currently addressed by the BMS.