Strike fast, strike first: paratroopers rehearse the future of warfare

Airborne soldiers are training in Canada to rehearse how they would ‘fight tonight’ and win on a battlefield dominated by drones and electronic warfare (EW).

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Soldiers from The 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Platoon. Preparing the Scorpio 1000 first person view drone for use before conducting an ordnance drop on a target.

Soldier from 21 Air Assault Battery Royal Artillery during Exercise Rhino Bizz.

Soldier from 21 Air Assault Battery Royal Artillery launches the PUMA Drone System during Exercise Rhino Bizz.

A soldier from 21 Air Assault Battery Royal Artillery monitors a feed from the PUMA drone, during Exercise Rhino Bizz.

Soldiers from The 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Platoon. Preparing the Scorpio 1000 first person view drone for use before conducting an ordnance drop on a target.

Lance Corporal Jack Southworth of The 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Platoon conducting pre flight check.

Lance Corporal Jack Southworth of The 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Platoon. With the Scorpio 1000 first person view drone during Exercise Rhino Bizz.

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16 Air Assault Brigade (16 Air Asslt Bde) has joined forces with mission partners from industry and Canadian troops for Exercise Rhino Bizz at British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada. The training is testing the recce-strike system of fighting.

Recce-strike is about getting ahead of the enemy by finding and destroying them before they can attack friendly forces. It brings together reconnaissance and strike platforms in an AI-enabled network able to identify and destroy targets faster and further away.

Around 350 British and Canadian soldiers are taking part in the two-week exercise. The main unit is 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), backed up by artillery, engineers, signallers, and medics from 16 Air Asslt Bde. A heavy weapons company from 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) adds to the force’s firepower.

Using the latest technology 

Soldiers are using drones to find the enemy and EW to track signals and jam GPS and radio communications. Once a target is found, it can be hit using attack drones, mortars, Javelin anti-tank missiles, or infantry assaults.

Two systems sit at the heart of how recce-strike works for 16 Air Asslt Bde. Cain is the communications network that links soldiers, sensors, and weapons together. Cobalt uses AI to merge and analyse all the information gathered. Together, they give everyone — from frontline troops to commanders who could be thousands of miles away — the same picture of the battlefield, helping them make decisions much faster.

Having the space to train

Training on the Canadian prairie gives the space to fly drones long distances, jam signals, and carry out live explosive strikes. Troops are training against a simulated enemy using the same technologies against them.

2 PARA’s commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Craig Shephard said: “The British Army is evolving rapidly to increase our lethality for future operations. We are learning from current battlefields around the world, adopting the latest technology in partnership with industry, and adapting how we will fight.

“Exercise Rhino Bizz is a demonstration of how we are ready to ‘fight tonight’ using technology that is available now and allows us to find and strike the enemy further away, faster, more precisely, and – most importantly – first.

“But any hardware and software can only be as good as the people operating it. Soldiers have learnt to build and code electronic equipment, fly drones, and programme AI systems; and they have applied their tactical skills and experience to make the best use of emerging technologies.”