The automatic control system of US artillery units will appear in Ukraine
The United States is handing over the IFADTS artillery control system to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine will receive 18 sets of IFADTS (International Field Artillery Tactical Data System). This was the artillery battery revolution in the war against Russia. We will see a super technological war at the sensor level.
The Russian Federation Army does not have a similar system. The Russians will not be able to replicate this due to significant technical and organizational gaps with NATO . Ukraine will be able to create advantages in management, priorities and opportunities opened up for the armed forces. In fact, Ukraine is fully implementing the US network-centric warfare doctrine, which can be understood by analyzing US sources.
What is IFADTS/AFATDS system?
This is an automatic control system for artillery units, which establishes situational awareness of its own and the enemy's forces, and determines the actions of the troops and the sequence of destroying targets. In other words, it is a special computer military network that is connected to the terminal through a radio communication channel and is free from electronic warfare interference. A compact and mobile artillery control command post that can be continuously controlled in real time by one or more laptops in any conditions. What does
IFADTS/AFATDS mean for management?
1. The system automates and accelerates two key components of combat control in the Boyd Cycle (observe, judge, decide, act) - situational awareness and commander's decision-making.
In war, the most important thing is not the total number of troops, guns, projectiles, missiles, intelligence, but the commander's ability to negotiate a single interaction with all units in the area of responsibility to destroy certain targets as quickly as possible at a specific point in time, ensuring optimal mobility of his troops, rational use of resources and adjusting his actions through new intelligence feedback.
2. This system allows the implementation of modern American network-centric warfare doctrine:
— combines in one system all operators on the battlefield and behind the lines, who have a common view of the situation and understand the actions of other operators;
— forms a single communication protocol , allowing you to instantly add new data, correct the situation for all system operators, create feedback;
— Eliminates vertical hierarchies and negotiates decisions from top to bottom and bottom to top, that is, it allows you to make decisions immediately;
— allows you to automate the entire combat cycle process from identifying the target to destroying it.
How will IFADTS/AFATDS change tactics in the war with Russia?
1. The maximum speed of the artillery is necessary for counter-battery warfare and for changing the position of the firing positions after destroying Russian artillery and mortars . HIMARS, MLRS and Pz2000, Ceasar and other self-propelled artillery are equipped with automatic fire control systems, which are integrated with IFADTS/AFATDS. That is to say, after receiving the command to destroy the target on the screen, the commander of the artillery and missile units will enter the parameters of the target to be destroyed with one click and can fire immediately. Or the unit is camouflaged in a concentrated area, and the system calculates the best route to reach the firing position and calculates maneuver and retreat routes after a salvo to avoid Russian return fire and drone attacks.
2. Modern war is not a human front, but a sensor front. Because the observation, data transmission and target positioning provided by the sensor are more accurate and faster than the human eye. People's ability to fight depends on their ability to effectively use the sensors in their hands. So we need an automated system to collect data from operators because there are many sensors.
IFADTS gives commanders the ability to understand and manage the sensor front—instantly receiving data from artillery reconnaissance radars recording the flight of Russian artillery shells, drones observing targets, satellites taking photos, electronic intelligence recording radio communications, from own and neighboring units on the battlefield, and from units behind the lines engaged in ammunition repair and delivery.Now, all this data will no longer be presented individually, it will be displayed immediately on the screens of artillery commanders and scouts in a certain area, rocket launcher platoons for direct strikes or commanders of HIMARS and MLRS.
3. IFADTS will be most effective when the artillery management organization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is truly based on NATO standards. IFADTS is the standard Ukraine needs to reform its military. Apparently, Ukraine's allies will be able to provide the military with their automated Army combat command systems, including IFADTS/AFATDS. This was the beginning of a major reform. When will
IFADTS appear on the front line and will its effect be obvious?
1. It was noted in the purchase that a seven-week training program was designed to be purchased with the system. Therefore, it could reach the frontline within the next 3 months. Possibly earlier if operator training has already begun.
2. According to Lockheed Martin , they have produced approximately 10,000 M30-M31 precision guided missiles in 2022. According to the passed U.S. military budget for fiscal year 2023, Lockheed Martin has won a five-year contract to produce 106,000 high-precision missiles. In other words, production is increasing significantly. Therefore, control of the battlefield will be improved this year by increasing the number of missiles capable of destroying Russian artillery batteries, warehouses and command posts, much more than in 2022.
