Integrated soldier system

In 1998, DSTO supported the Project Definition Study (PDS) (Phase 2) for Land 125 (Hobbs and Chalmers, 2003) to further refine the project scope and to develop the supporting data to allow higher-level cost-benefit tradeoffs to be made. The DSTO recommendation in 1998 was not to acquire an Integrated Soldier System, as the technology was not considered sufficiently advanced. The report proposed a preferred path for SCS development as an incremental development involving a number of model-test-model cycles in order to fully understand the requirements for an optimised soldier combat system prior to Phase 3 of the project. 

The change-over of the L125 DM0 Project Management, which had previously championed the concept of an integrated soldier system ... 

So far the Australian journey towards an integrated soldier system has been described, as well as the various methods chosen to accomplish this, whether by development of an Anstralianbespoke system, the acquisition of a foreign bespoke system/architecture or through a staged spiral development approach. The overall intention was for an integrated soldier system to be provided by the final phase of L125 (Phase 4). 

Key words capability development. Integrated Soldier Combat System,... 

This concept demonstrator, designed specifically to cater for the Australian Army s needs, eventually became the Soldier Combat System Test-Bed (SCSTB), which provided not only all of the expected functionality of an Integrated Soldier... 

Phase 4 was still not yet scoped, but the intent was still to deliver a fully integrated single soldier system, as well as further enhancements in command and control at Fire Team level and above . 

In 2003, the United States initiated the Future Combat Systems (PCS) program, which is the largest and most ambitious planned acquisition program in the US Army s history. This PCS system covers almost every field application, as shown in Pigure 16.11, and every field is based on the use of an advanced energy storage system, so far mostly lithium-ion batteries. These applications include satellites, drones, stealth aircraft, UAVs, warships, aircraft carriers, AUVs, and integrated battle systems for individual soldiers. 

Figure 1.7. Large-area electronic fabrics and health monitoring systems for soldiers and personnel employed in high-risk field operations, (a) Operation of a personnel health monitoring system, (b) Example of a vest with integrated sensors for monitoring body temperature, respiration rate, and other bodily parameters.

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