' Military tech lets soldiers plot enemy routes while remaining behind heavily armoured walls

BattleView 360 aims to get around visibility issues for soldiers under cover
The technology is an extension of that already used by F-35 fighter pilots
Streaming video to the display enables troops to 'see through' vehicles
Its makers say it protects troops in the field and gives them the advantage

Battlefields of the future could see soldiers kitted out with headsets which enable them to see through the walls of heavily armoured vehicles and get live feeds from drones circling above.

As well as giving multiple battlefield views, the technology could provide soldiers key information about the location of other forces in the area and even plot routes for enemies.

Creators of the cutting edge technology, called BattleView 360, claim it could help protect troops in the field and give them the upper hand in the fight.

In order to protect troops on the battlefield, vehicles need to be heavily armoured, but this has led to a trade off in visibility. But BattleView 360, developed by BAE Systems, aims to get around the issue by incorporating data feeds from cameras and sensors and streaming the information to a display for the soldier.

BATTLEVIEW 360 SYSTEM

Creators of the cutting edge technology, called BattleView 360, claim it could help protect troops in the field and give them the upper hand in the fight.

The technology is a progression of that already being tested by fighter pilots, such as the F-35 jet’s helmet which incorporates 360 video, navigation and weapons systems data.

The heads up display can incorporate a vehicle’s camera feeds, giving troops a 360 view of their surroundings and effectively enabling them to see through the walls of the vehicle.

But it can also overlay map and sensor data from other vehicles and intelligence sources, to track movements of enemy units in the area.

In order to protect troops on the battlefield, vehicles need to be heavily armoured, but this has led to a trade off in visibility.

But BattleView 360, developed by BAE Systems, aims to get around the issue by incorporating data feeds from cameras and sensors and streaming the information to a display for the soldier.

According to Fox News defence correspondent Allison Barrie, the view can either be seen on a head up display, like Google Glass, or on a tablet such as an iPad.

‘It is collating, harvesting, gathering data from sensors and cameras all around the tank or heavily armoured vehicle, but it can also take feeds from drones flying over, dismounted soldiers’ helmet cameras…or other vehicles,’ explained Barrie.

The technology is a progression of that already being tested by fighter pilots, such as the F-35 jet’s helmet which incorporates 360 video, navigation and weapons systems data.

The heads up display can incorporate a vehicle’s camera feeds, giving troops a 360 view of their surroundings and effectively enabling them to see through the walls of the vehicle.

BAE claim the system can help with decision-making in the field and help soldiers recognise friend from foe.

The heads up display can incorporate a vehicle’s camera feeds, giving troops a 360 view of their surroundings and effectively enabling them to see through the walls of the vehicle.

But it can also overlay map and sensor data from other vehicles and intelligence sources, to track movements of enemy units in the area.

The technology is a progression of that already being tested by fighter pilots, such as the F-35 jet’s helmet which incorporates 360 video, navigation and weapons systems data. Pictured is an F-35 Lightning jet in flight

For soldiers inside vehicles, the headset technology would enable them to get a view of the environment outside, without leaving the safety of their armoured vehicle. Pictured are pilots of a Black Hawk helicopter

‘This technology is so good that it can predict the routes that enemies will take,’ said Barrie.

At the debut of the system at a US military exhibition at the end of 2015, Peder Sjölund, technology manager at BAE Systems, said: ‘Knowing what’s going on around you has always been a challenge for armoured vehicle crews inside noisy machines with limited visibility.’

‘BattleView 360 builds on years of work across BAE Systems to improve situational awareness and integrate information so that crew workload is reduced and they can make fast, yet effective, decisions.

‘The result is increased battlefield effectiveness and survivability.’

Soldiers using the head-mounted mode of the technology can get data overlaid on visible targets (pictured), potentially providing range, wind speed and other key information the troops need to take into account

Using topographical data from maps (pictured) the technology could provide troops with an advantage, using the data to work out enemy line of sight, and where they may be in broken cover. This information could prove invaluable or soldiers in the field