Close Combat Symposium 2022

Digitalising military operations can provide a decisive advantage on the battlefield. The latest technologies to improve survivability, endurance, mobility and effectiveness were available for delegates to get hands-on experience with at the Close Combat Symposium 2022 range day.

The live firing session at Cranfield Ordnance Test and Evaluation Centre (COTEC) on Salisbury Plain forms the middle part of the three-day Symposium which aims to fuse the vision and capability requirements of government departments with the technological expertise of scientists and industry.

Industry experts – with the assistance of military personnel – demonstrated their weapons to around 200 delegates, who were also able to fire and test the pistols, rifles and AI-enhanced sights being shown.

Nick Lindley, Director, Symposia at Shrivenham, said: “This July saw the welcome return of the Close Combat Symposium after a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With nine different manufacturers and distributors in attendance, there was plenty for delegates to see, including the Next Generation Squad Weapon that the US Army are buying. The event was kindly sponsored by FNH UK and facilitated brilliantly by the Army’s Infantry Trials and Development Unit. We are also enormously grateful to COTEC and the Defence Academy Light Weapons team for their support.”

The first and last days of the Symposium were based at Shrivenham with presentations from industry, consultancy and academia.

Key themes included developing the soldier as a platform (to host and use equipment related to a particular task in the field) and integrating digital systems to move light forces further into the information age. A further topic throughout considered how to do more agile, interactive acquisition and delivery, including looking at an innovative US model using university research.

Army HQ briefed on its New Operating Model and Naval Command HQ briefed on the Future Commando Force. There were also presentations on The Defence Battle Lab, Experimentation and Trials Group, Defence Equipment Support from the Future Capabilities Group and Soldier Training and Special Projects.

Major Adam Aroskin of the Infantry Trials & Development Unit and alumnus of Cranfield’s Battlespace Technology MSc, said: “The Close Combat Symposium range experience is a very useful event to help inform UK lethal capability development. It provides a great platform in which the latest small arms technology can be displayed and fired by key stakeholders within UK military components, and also draws academia, industry and the specialist media. Events such as these help to ignite discussion with the diverse breadth of experience, expertise and opinion that they bring with them.”

Remote weapons station

Smart Shooter demonstrated the SMASH Hopper remote weapons station. The weapon can be placed on different mounts and controlled from a distance with a tablet.

Smarter sights

On the modern battlefield, sights and sensors are as important as the weapon they are attached to. AI-enhanced sighting systems can highlight threats, integrate with other platforms and assist with training soldiers in shooting accuracy.

24-hour, all-weather capability

Qioptiq demonstrated a number of thermal and fused weapon sights that can be used in the day or at night.

Ultra-light machine guns

FNH UK sponsored the event and had the Evolys Ultra-light Machine Guns in both 7.62 and 5.56 mm plus the family of SCAR Mk2 weapons on the firing point, and delivered presentations on two e-novation products, FN VICTOR and SMARTCORE.

Ashley Franks, FNH UK Sales Manager, said: "Once again the Close Combat Symposium was invaluable for us to understand the authorities' short and long term intent. The range day is an ideal opportunity to network with key stakeholders and gives them the opportunity to fire our latest weapons."

Counter UAS systems

With a growing focus on the threat from uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), Smart Shooter demonstrated its fire control system against mock aerial targets (balloons, for this demonstration) hung beneath a drone. The SMASH 3000 is powered by AI and computer vision and has a ‘drone mode’, allowing it to lock onto, follow and hit moving targets.

Doron Levi, Regional Director B2B & Marketing, Smart Shooter, said: "Smart Shooter's SMASH family of fire control solutions offers a precise and swift capability to counter small unmanned aircraft systems. The SMASH fire control system puts a precision counter-drone capability at the fingertips of its users, featuring built-in targeting algorithms that can track and hit even very small drones at assault rifle ranges (200-300 metres).

"The simplicity and accuracy of SMASH significantly reduces operating costs, training hours, and amount of ammunition to achieve the mission. SMASH is a cost-effective solution that brings all shooters to an expert level of marksmanship – even when countering small drones."

US Army Next Generation Squad Weapon

Edgar Brothers displayed the 6.88 mm SIG XM5, the winning assault rifle submission for the NGSW programme that was launched in the US in 2017 to replace the M4 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, which both fire the 5.56 mm round.