Indra and Thales strengthen the intelligence of the Army’s Battlefield Management System

Indra and Thales are strengthening the capacity of the Spanish Army’s BMS (Battlefield Management System) and preparing it to operate in highly digitalized scenarios in which its data exchange and degree of coordination are extremely high and key to gaining an advantage over the adversary.

The two companies will evolve the system, which they were tasked with developing. It went into operation in 2021. It’s become one of the most advanced of its kind and a benchmark for armies around the world.

The BMS enables commanders to oversee and issue orders in real time, helping them to rapidly make the right decisions, and provides units deployed in the field with a complete view of the mission on digital mapping, allowing them to exchange tactical information, images and text messages to enhance their coordination and boost their effectiveness.

Improved processing capacity and performance

The current aim of this evolution is to increase the system’s processing capacity and performance so that it can handle more information and provide the army with greater situational awareness and coordination, thereby adapting it to a context in which the volume of data exchanged by platforms and weapon systems is constantly growing.

Antonio Hernández Bejarano, Indra’s director of Business Development for Electronic Combat Management, explained that “the improvements will also enable us to exploit the capabilities of the new means of transmission, maximizing the available bandwidth while providing the ability, in a transparent manner, to dynamically adapt the information flows so as to work in contested environments in which the adversary attempts to prevent communications”.

Juan José Forteza, Thales Projects Director, emphasized that “the system has been designed to guarantee interoperability with other allied armies in alignment with NATO’s FMN (Federated Mission Networking) standards, which facilitate the integration of the different command and control networks of allied countries, a crucial factor within the current context”.

The two companies will also lighten the system’s architecture so that it can be installed on tablets, allowing it to comply with high mobility requirements. Another benefit to be added will be the integration of the BMS into SIGLE, the Army’s Logistics Management System, in order to reduce the workload associated with armored vehicle maintenance and improve the upkeep of vehicles and tanks throughout their life cycle, thereby increasing their availability and the safety of their crews.

The BMS system has performed excellently during real missions of the utmost complexity, including NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) Mission, in which the Spanish Army was deployed in Latvia with Pizarro infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard tanks, among other means equipped with the battlefield management system.