Digital Soldier : Turkey is testing ATOK's smart systems to raise the efficiency of its soldiers

In a period when almost everything in our lives continues to be digitized, from our phones and watches to our homes and cars, the digitization of the soldier himself was inevitable for Turkey.

We read new news every day that conveys to us the achievements of Turkish defense industry companies in developing and producing modern and advanced military systems that will enter the Turkish army into the club of "smart armies of the future", and enhance its combat and offensive capabilities by integrating it with future military technology.

In an age where everything is digitally managed by advanced technology, the transformation of soldiers and entire armies into a world of digital and artificial intelligence was inevitable. As is the case with the great countries, Turkey also entered the arena of military digital industries and supported its companies to come up with future digital systems that would help its soldiers in the field and preserve their lives as much as places.

To achieve this vision, the Turkish Defense and Information Systems Company (BITES) has succeeded, with pure local capabilities, in developing digital systems called (ATOK), an acronym for "Tactical Military Operations Kit". Which was considered a military-technical achievement that will enable the Turkish army to catch up with the smart armies, which Western countries, led by America, seek to possess in the near future.

The origin of the story

At a time when the concept of the “digital soldier” has become one of the top priorities in the leading militaries around the world, Turkey has wasted no time not to be left behind in these developments, and Turkish efforts are not only limited to government institutions, but Turkish private companies have also started very valuable business in This field, and some projects have reached an important point as of today.

Among the participants in this project was the Turkish Defense and Information Systems Company (BITES), which was able to employ the best local skills and capabilities in order to come up with the best military digital devices and systems, which are expected to be included in the Turkish forces’ inventory at the end of this year 2021 after completing the last performance trials .

(BITES), headquartered in the Turkish capital, Ankara, is one of the leading technology companies in finding and employing digital solutions in military and combat environments, and besides specializing in the fields of defence, aerospace, energy and big data analysis, it has a wide range of product base including computer-based training systems in 3D synthetic environments.

ATOK Digital Systems

Essentially, ATOK is a system that meets the needs of soldiers and mission-critical teams on the battlefield in different environments, with digital systems that display a soldier's exact location, health status, and momentary changes on the battlefield to him and his teammates.

Even in non-GPS environments, a soldier's system hardware can pinpoint his position by performing complex mathematical calculations, and can share data obtained from the field with both the team leader and headquarters. .

The system consists of a smart watch similar to the ones most of us use today, and glasses that provide augmented reality technology where the team leader can monitor the situation, the condition of the site and the health of all the people on his team, in addition to braces worn around the chest like those worn by athletes, obtaining vital data instantly and sharing it with the soldier Commander and headquarters.

How does the ATOK digital system work?

The Deputy General Manager of BITES, Irenesh Al-Bairaq, who spoke to TRT Haber , gave a full explanation of the working mechanism of the ATOK system developed by his company.

He explained, "With the help of ATOK glasses, the field group commander can easily see the soldiers in the direction he is looking at, and thus can easily distinguish between the friendly soldier and the enemy clearly, which prevents injuries from friendly fire. In addition, the images that Obtained from the drones, it is immediately reflected on the plates of the soldiers participating in the operation."

Soldiers in the field can also access important information more easily and quickly using augmented reality glasses, as they will be able to see the information instantly even while filming.

There is also another dimension to the ATOK system, which lies in the ability to share images and transfer information and data with the headquarters remote from the battlefield through the satellite communication system (SATCOM). Thus, the leadership can follow all the details of the process down to the smallest detail from wherever they want.

"Thanks to the tablet on the wrist, the soldier can easily see all the information even when he is aiming. He immediately monitors who is pointing in the direction he is pointing, the pre-loaded map of the area and the location of his friends," Albayrak added.

The system can also monitor the immediate situation and the condition of the teams operating in the field, and locate the wounded and martyred soldiers in an area in preparation for their rescue and transfer.