In the decades ahead, land warfare will be redefined not solely by next-generation hardware, but by systems that integrate manned and unmanned capabilities, kinetic and non-kinetic effects, and AI-enabled decision-making. Based on insights from Shephard’s Defence Insight and operational commentary, five technologies stand out as reshaping doctrine and acquisition at scale.
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An article by Sam Hart, Customer Success Manager, Defence Insight®
Mature active protection systems (APS), such as Rafael’s Trophy and Rheinmetall’s StrikeShield, are transforming survivability paradigms. During recent British Army trials, Trophy demonstrated a >90% intercept rate against ATGM threats on Challenger 3 tanks. Germany’s adoption of EuroTrophy for Leopard 2A8s reinforces the technology’s growing operational role.
Why it matters: APS enables vehicles to reduce passive armour in favour of lighter, more agile configurations supported by hard-kill defences. The shift improves mobility, logistics burden and tactical flexibility, particularly in high-threat urban and hybrid environments.
The digitalisation of land warfare has elevated command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) into a standalone capability. Systems like Elbit Systems’ Iron Vision and Lockheed Martin’s see-through armour provide 360° situational awareness, while AI-assisted systems such as Rafael’s Hypercore reduces crew workload and enables faster, more accurate decision-making.
Why it matters: Faced with an increasing array of 360° threats, AI integration provides comparative advantages to vehicles and crews over conventional human decision-making and threat prioritisation. AI-supported C4ISR platforms allow formations to maintain operational tempo with a reduced ‘brain drain’ on crews.
Facing a new array of Electronic Warfare threats and a return to peer-on-peer focus, combat vehicles increasingly integrate sophisticated vetronics - modular, open-architecture electronics systems compliant with standards like CMOSS - enabling better resistance to jamming and cyber intrusion.
Vehicle resistance to spoofing, detection, isolation, and interdiction is becoming paramount to survival, with vehicles like the British AJAX and US future XM30 leading Western development.
Why it matters: Land warfare is becoming increasingly digitised, and EW threats risk even greater damage than ever before. Traditionally high-quality, low-quantity Western-European armoured survivability now hinges on spectrum dominance under electronic attack — a growing priority for EU and NATO forces as outlined in Defence Insight’s 2025 forecast.
The global UGV market remains almost entirely in the T&E stage globally but sits on the cusp of a forecasted modern warfare shift. UGVs undergoing field testing in Ukraine continue to drive future development with companies such as ARX and Milrem incorporating successes and losses directly into their R&D.
Teleoperated systems make up 43% of fielded capabilities, with over 60% deployed in tactical-support roles (reconnaissance, logistics, EOD). However, Sam Hart of Shephard notes the shift “from simple resupply vehicles to sophisticated systems capable of various military applications”.
France’s 2024 4×4 UGV programme highlights this trend, incorporating remote weapon stations (RWS), counter-UAS capabilities and UAV-launch modules for integration alongside wheeled platforms.
Why it matters: UGVs are evolving from rear-echelon support to forward-deployed assets offering mobility, protection, and firepower, reshaping the tactical composition of mechanised formations.
Proliferation of low-cost UAS has exposed the unsustainable economics of traditional kinetic intercepts. Directed energy weapons (DEWs), such as QinetiQ and Leonardo’s DragonFire and the US Army’s M-SHORAD laser systems, are emerging as cost-effective counter-UAS solutions in a politically and militarily wielded UAS environment.
Why it matters: DEWs offer scalable, low-cost-per-shot air defence. Mounted on land platforms, these systems neutralise UAS threats without depleting munitions stockpiles — a critical capability in high-tempo engagements.
These technologies are converging into integrated, software-driven land systems. APS, AI-C4ISR, UGVs, DEWs and electronic hardening are not standalone capabilities but interdependent elements within a digitally networked force architecture.
European defence procurement — with over $2.2 trillion projected equipment spending between 2025–2035 — is increasingly aligned with this trajectory. Nations such as Germany, France and the UK are prioritising platforms and subsystems that support open architectures, modularity and AI integration.
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