Indra equips tanks with ‘transparent armour’ using a new augmented reality solution

Indra is bringing the concept of ‘transparent armour’ to military operations with an advanced system based on augmented reality glasses that allows the wearer to ‘see’ through the vehicle’s armoured structure, thereby enhancing safety and the ability to react to imminent threats.

This technology significantly increases situational awareness and helps to improve the crew’s survival in complex scenarios, such as those encountered during operations in urban areas. In this way, the armour ceases to be a barrier to observation and becomes a protective element without compromising full awareness of the surroundings.

Until now, periscopes, viewfinders or interior screens were used to monitor what was happening outside the vehicle. Now the crew can maintain complete control of the surroundings from inside simply by looking towards the point of interest.

The human-machine interface based on these goggles allows images captured by the vehicle’s cameras to be projected directly into the operator’s field of view; these images are further enhanced with information provided by the mission system, which is the platform’s true ‘brain’.

The technology provides a continuous, coherent, real-time 360-degree view. Different sources of information can be integrated into a single panoramic image or distributed across multiple configurable virtual screens, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the tactical situation. This approach not only improves visibility but also reduces the workload on the crew, who no longer need to interpret fragmented or scattered images.

At the same time, the system tailors the information to the role of each crew member – driver, vehicle commander or gunner – and to the phase of the operation, reducing cognitive load and facilitating decision-making in conditions of fatigue or stress.

Taken together, this new capability from Indra represents a major leap forward in the digitalisation of the combat station. With it, the company consolidates its commitment to advanced technologies that combine safety, effectiveness and cognitive superiority – key factors for operating successfully in demanding scenarios.

The initiative forms part of the company’s strategy to develop advanced technologies that will be key to the development of the next generation of main battle tanks in Europe and the modernisation of armoured vehicles already in service. In the coming years, these vehicles will cease to operate in isolation and will instead become nodes within a network, forming a system of systems designed to achieve superiority on the battlefield. This technology represents a quantum leap in the digitalisation of the combat post and brings to life Indra’s vision of the armoured vehicle of the future: a connected, intelligent platform centred on the combatant.