A whopping amount of 3.5 million euros is being invested in the Defence Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl) for the Co-operative Strike Weapons Technology Demonstrator (CSWTD) program. What is new about this weapons system is that they will communicate when they’d be target bound.
At the time of the first Indo-Pak war or the Arab-Israel war, laser-guided missiles were state-of-the-art tech. The 1960s saw people dub them as the smart bombs, but 6 decades down the lane and the lasers guided missiles might be on the cusp of being replaced by ingenious bombs. Devices would wreak havoc on the target, and not only that; it would self-assess the situation but also change course as per the directive or self-assessment of the situation. Long story short, these bombs will reach their targets come what may. Now, this is what we call really smart.
The problem with the laser-guided and other missiles of the same generation was that they would communicate with their launcher but not to one another. Thus, neither were they able to assess the situation on the ground. With CSWTD, this drawback will be addressed for good.
The CSWTD is part of a comprehensive missile system plan that the UK govt wants to pursue. New hardware and software are in the pipeline to make these talking missiles a reality. A total amount of Euro 6 billion is set to be invested in the program. Conceived in April 2021, the project will be completed in two years. It would be a part of a smarter integrated network of missiles in five years.
“Currently, missiles can communicate with the launch platform but not each other,” says a Dstl scientist identified as Charlie. “The aim of this program is to investigate how inter-missile communication and cooperative behaviours can be technically achieved to solve UK military challenges”.