Ukraine’s digital war tool cut the time between finding and striking Russian targets from days to minutes

• Ukraine’s online Delta system has greatly reduced the time needed to detect and attack Russian targets.

• A senior Ukrainian official said the battlefield management tool increased the speed of decision-making.

• While it used to take days to detect Russian targets and transmit data to troops, it now takes only minutes.

The process, which once took days in Ukraine, now takes minutes. A senior defense official told Business Insider that Kiev’s forces will be able to detect, target and strike Russian positions almost instantly with the help of a key battlefield command and control tool.

Average time between detection of an attack before the launch of Ukraine’s digital battlefield management system Delta Russian target Lt. Col. Yurii Myronenko, Kiev’s deputy defense minister for innovation, said it could take up to 72 hours for data to be transmitted for an attack.

“During this period, the target frequently changed its location, making the data outdated,” said Myronenko, a former drone unit commander who oversaw the Ukrainian army’s digital transformation.

The Delta system reduced the cycle to approximately two minutes, underlining how technology is accelerating Ukraine’s development. combat engagements.

The system also reflects that Ukraine and the battlefield continue to be a testing ground for new domestic and foreign recruits. defense technology. Kiev lobbied Western companies to develop and demonstrate combat weapons in order to gain experience they could not obtain elsewhere.

Delta is an integrated system that provides users with situational awareness. ukrainian army By combining real-time data collected from satellite imagery, radars, drone reconnaissance, front-line units and other tools.

All this information is fed into an interactive digital map where users, from the Ukrainian navy to the air force, can easily identify enemy positions or track friendly forces with the full operational picture of the battlefield.

The battlefield management system has been used since early times. Large-scale invasion of Russia It launched in February 2022 and has undergone changes and upgrades since then, including its integration into the cloud. Units continuously tested Delta and shared feedback with Kiev, then adjusted it to suit operational requirements.

Delta operates in accordance with NATO standards and even hosts command and control system A major exercise hosted by the military alliance earlier this year is a prime example of how much support the West has. Ukrainian innovations and experience.

“The adoption of it became the basis for a modern approach to battlefield management, significantly increasing efficiency and speed of decision-making at all levels,” Myronenko said. he said.

Different reaction times for different weapons

Like emerging technologies Continuing its dominance in Ukraine, Delta is playing an increasing role in the country’s battlefield management. The deputy defense minister said that about 90% of Ukrainian military combat units are actively using the system.

He explained that Delta has “fundamentally transformed its approach to collecting, processing and sharing intelligence.”

“Ukrainian forces have transitioned from manual work with paper maps to a digital, integrated platform that reflects the real battlefield and allows effective action even in high-tech enemy conditions,” he said.

While Delta has shortened the cycle between target acquisition and transmission of data to units for engagement, not all attacks occur within minutes. Unit readiness may depend on a number of factors, including the type of target, weather and terrain conditions.

Distance to the target is also important. Ukraine’s weapon systems are designed as follows: hit Russian positions They are found at distances ranging from a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers, Myronenko said.

For example a small first person perspective (FPV) drone can be launched from the ground and reach its target in as little as three minutes, but this depends on factors such as pilot preparation, wind and terrain.

Similarly, a 155 mm howitzerThe gun, which can fire artillery shells to a distance of tens of kilometers, can fire within a few minutes after receiving a command if the gun crew is ready and prepared.

More complex weapons with longer range (like some) fixed wing drones or tactical rocket or missile systems – An attack that can strike from hundreds of kilometers away may require 30 minutes or several hours of pre-mission planning and launch preparation, even if the flight time is much shorter.

External factors such as terrain, weather, time of day and signal delay can affect the engagement rate of any weapon system, Myronenko said. And then there is the human element: crew fatigue, workload or experience level.

“Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that short-range tactical systems provide the fastest response near the front line, while long-range systems operate in a longer but more complex and meticulously planned cycle,” he said. Still, Ukraine’s Delta system significantly reduced response time.

Read the original article Business Content