Artificial Intelligence is fast becoming the British military’s secret weapon, a tool that defence chiefs believe will “fix the fight” and give UK forces the upper hand in any future conflict.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has placed AI at the centre of its modernisation drive, promising faster, smarter and more connected operations that could reshape the battlefield.
AI at the heart of UK Defence
AI is being described as a “game-changer” for the Armed Forces, capable of processing battlefield intelligence in real time and accelerating decision-making in combat.
The MOD’s Talos programme, a major initiative designed to integrate command and control across all domains, is leading the charge. At its core sits Lattice Mesh, an advanced AI networking system developed by US defence company Anduril Industries.
First tested at the Cranfield Ordnance Test and Evaluation Centre in Wiltshire in October 2023, the Lattice Mesh has rapidly evolved under the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC), formerly UK Strategic Command.
Described as a “decentralised mesh network”, the system securely shares data across military branches, domains and platforms, even in degraded or remote environments. It can connect thousands of systems worldwide, supporting both command and mission autonomy.
“Drones and AI are already in the fight”
According to General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of CSOC, the shift to AI-powered defence is no longer theoretical.
“Drones, artificial intelligence and autonomy are no longer emerging technologies. They are in the fight today,” he said.
“We are harnessing AI and machine learning to accelerate decision-making and deliver digital precision.”
Project Asgard: the ‘unfair fight’
One of the MOD’s most ambitious AI initiatives, Project Asgard, is designed to “set the conditions for the unfair fight.”
The system allows British troops to transmit frontline data back to headquarters in seconds, dramatically speeding up the decision chain. The result is a “resilient, survivable kill web” that lets commanders identify and strike targets in real time.
Trials in Estonia have already shown promising results. The MOD says Asgard will make the British Army “ten times more lethal over the next decade”, combining weapons systems, surveillance, automation and data analysis into one digital ecosystem.
Lessons from Ukraine
Much of the UK’s AI development has been inspired by the war in Ukraine. US software giant Palantir, whose systems drive much of Ukraine’s artillery targeting, is now partnering with the MOD to adapt its battlefield-proven technology for British use.
Palantir’s software combines intelligence from drones, radar, thermal sensors and human reports, using AI modelling to provide real-time targeting options. The system improves as it learns, becoming more accurate over time.
The collaboration is expected to make London a European hub for defence technology innovation, as the MOD develops new AI-powered tools to improve planning, targeting and threat response.
The Digital Targeting Web
The MOD is also developing a Digital Targeting Web (DTW), a vast network designed to connect the Armed Forces’ weapons systems and command infrastructure, allowing battlefield decisions to be made and executed faster.
General Hockenhull described DTW as an “ecosystem” rather than a single product:
“It brings together defence’s currently fragmented targeting and command-and-control systems, data, platforms and networks, enabling the integration of emerging and novel technologies. This is not just a technical challenge, it is a challenge of orchestration.”
A race against time
The challenge now is bringing all these technologies together quickly enough to be combat-ready for future conflicts. Defence insiders say the goal is clear, to ensure it is Britain’s adversaries, not its troops, who face defeat when the next fight begins.
