HAVELSAN Digital Troop: The Autonomous-Systems Vision

The “digital troop” is the concept describing HAVELSAN’s vision in the field of unmanned and autonomous systems. The core idea is that different unmanned vehicles (land, air, sea) are managed not one by one but as a swarm from a single command centre. In this approach the human, rather than remotely controlling each vehicle individually, directs a whole made up of autonomous systems. This article looks at the digital-troop concept, human-machine cooperation and HAVELSAN’s role in this vision, based on open sources.

For the company’s unmanned systems see What does HAVELSAN produce?, and for a general profile, What is HAVELSAN?

What is the digital troop?

The digital troop is a combat concept in which manned and unmanned elements work together in coordination. In this concept a soldier or commander can manage, from a single interface, a swarm made up of ground vehicles, air vehicles and naval vehicles. The aim is to reduce the human’s exposure in risky missions and to benefit from the speed and endurance of machines.

HAVELSAN aims to manage air-land-sea vehicles from a single centre — HAVELSAN aims to manage land-air-sea vehicles as a swarm from a single centre. Source: HAVELSAN

Autonomy and the swarm concept

The technical basis of this vision is autonomy. The goal is for vehicles not merely to be remotely controlled but to carry out a given mission on their own. In the swarm concept, several vehicles share a common mission in coordination with one another. For example, a group of unmanned vehicles can divide tasks among themselves according to a common objective, rather than being managed individually. HAVELSAN’s vehicles such as BARKAN, KAPGAN, BAHA and SANCAR form the different legs of this whole.

Human-machine cooperation

The digital-troop vision does not remove the human from the equation; on the contrary, it moves the human into a “manager” position. The human sets the swarm’s overall objective and rules; the machines make autonomous decisions within this framework. This human-machine cooperation both increases the speed of decisions and keeps the human away from risky areas.

HAVELSAN’s role in this vision

Because HAVELSAN is not a platform manufacturer but a software and systems house, its role in the digital-troop vision is the command-and-control and autonomy software that connects and manages the vehicles. The company’s combat management systems, autonomy software and AI platform can be seen as the building blocks of this holistic vision.

The digital troop at a glance

Element	Vehicle / layer
Land leg	BARKAN, KAPGAN unmanned ground vehicles
Air leg	BAHA unmanned aerial vehicle
Naval leg	SANCAR unmanned surface vessel (joint)
Connecting layer	Command-and-control and autonomy software
Human’s role	Decision-maker managing the swarm

Frequently asked questions

What is the digital troop?

It is the concept describing HAVELSAN’s vision of autonomous systems, in which manned and unmanned vehicles are managed as a swarm from a single command centre.