BAE to Debut AI Target Recognition on Bradley Vehicles at Army Exercise
BAE Systems to Showcase AI Target Recognition on Bradley Vehicles at Army’s TiC Exercise
BAE Systems is set to demonstrate its latest artificial intelligence-enabled target recognition capability on Bradley Fighting Vehicles during the Army’s upcoming Transformation in Contact (TiC) exercise, according to remarks made by the company’s Chief Technology Officer of Intelligence Solutions, Don Widener.
The aided target recognition (ATR) system represents a breakthrough in integrating autonomous detection capabilities directly onto ground combat platforms. Developed through BAE’s Virtual Battlespace 4 (VBS4) simulation engine, the ATR model processes synthetic training data to enable soldiers to detect and identify various ground threats in real-time.
Widener emphasized the critical importance of human-machine integration in modern warfare. “When you’re testing target recognition, soldiers with human machine integration and soldiers without it, that human machine teaming aspect always wins,” he stated. “When you have a soldier with that added capability, it makes them way more effective.”
This deployment builds on previous Army experiments with AI-aided target recognition systems conducted during the 4th Infantry Division’s Ivy Sting series. During those initial trials, the system successfully identified single targets, but the Army aims to enhance the capability to differentiate between multiple threats simultaneously.
One of the most significant aspects of BAE’s approach is its focus on what Widener calls the “horizontal view” of threat detection. Unlike previous decades of reliance on aerial platforms and satellite imagery for target recognition—the traditional “vertical view”—the ATR system allows soldiers operating ground vehicles to identify threats from their own perspective.
“The Bradley has been very effective in Ukraine,” Widener explained. “The Army wanted to add target recognition to ground systems, but all the training data from the predator view was looking down. We needed to retrain the models looking horizontally.”
This technological shift has profound implications for ground warfare. Ground-based AI target recognition enables soldiers to operate more effectively in contested environments where aerial assets may be unavailable or vulnerable. The Bradley, already proven effective in recent conflicts, becomes even more lethal and efficient when equipped with real-time threat identification.
The TiC exercise serves as a crucial prototype experiment for the Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) program. Success during this exercise could accelerate integration of ATR capabilities across the service’s fleet of Bradley vehicles, fundamentally enhancing their operational effectiveness.
While the ATR system is not currently under contract, Widener expressed optimism about future adoption. “Eventually, I hope every Bradley is updated with the capability as we want the vehicles to stay up to date with the current threat environment,” he said.
The demonstration represents a pivotal moment in military AI adoption, showcasing how advanced technology can augment rather than replace human decision-making in combat scenarios.
Source ID: SRCE-2025-1764788686534-1127