The British Army will be receiving a new sensor to shooter target acquisition solution for joint terminal attack controllers and fire support teams under a £102-million (approx. $137 million) contract awarded to the UK subsidiary of Israeli defense technology company Elbit Systems.
Using thermal sight technology, the Dismounted Joint Fires Integrator (DJFI) will enhance soldiers’ ability to find and identify targets on the battlefield. It then provides the crucial targeting information necessary to fire more quickly and accurately than ever before.
Information gathered by the DJFI is sent digitally to an artillery system or aircraft to instantly engage the target, while the soldier operating the system remains hidden.
As outlined by Elbit, the D-JFI solution will integrate several technologies including the TORCH-X battle management application, the Hattorix system for undetectable generation of high-precision targets, the CORAL multi-spectral electro-optical payload for enhanced target acquisition in day and night and the Rattler XR long range laser designator.
“This contract with Elbit Systems UK not only delivers the very latest in battlefield technology to our frontline soldiers, but also invests in the British defense industry, sustaining more than 500 jobs across the UK,” defense procurement minister Jeremy Quin said.
Elbit has also confirmed that all five subcontractors would also be UK-based. Additional jobs are expected to be sustained elsewhere through the UK supply chain between now and 2026.
DJFI will deliver six distinct fires integration equipment suites – each tailored to specific battlefield mission roles – to be combined with existing hardware and software. The technology is designed to be integrated and used alongside similar equipment used by allied forces, meaning the UK can play a pivotal role in joint overseas operations.
“DJFI will enable rapid and highly accurate target engagements. In addition to being fielded across the Army to our fire support teams and joint terminal attack controllers, DJFI will also deliver capability to 3 Commando Brigade, the RAF Regiment and our special forces,” Colonel Kieran Sheldon, Assistant Head of the Army Joint Effects Delivery team, said.
