Roke extends ZODIAC support for British Army
Above: In September 2023, Roke signed a £40 million contract to deliver the following two years of Project ZODIAC for the British Army.
Courtesy Roke
Project ZODIAC is the Army’s programme of record focused on modernising its Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities. ZODIAC integrates sensors, decisionmakers and effectors into a single network for command and control. In short, it will deliver an operational advantage and increase lethality by giving soldiers faster, smarter tools for gathering and sharing battlefield information.
Paul MacGregor, Managing Director at Roke, said: “ZODIAC connects systems and processes that have never been able to talk to each other before, through a sovereign data fabric. ZODIAC digitises processes and procedures that have historically taken place on whiteboards, voice comms, maps, spreadsheets and transforms the way the Army interacts on the battlefield.”
Roke has been the prime contractor and system integrator for ZODIAC since 2021 and has already developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), with the support of a consortium of partners. Over the next 12 months, Roke will continue to optimise ZODIAC for the frontline, co-develop the solution with the Army and iterate the software based on user feedback from battlefield exercises.
Developed using a spiral development approach that innovates iteratively, Project ZODIAC replaces the traditional long-cycle approach with a continuous 'software factory' model. This allows new capabilities, updates and security enhancements to be delivered in weeks rather than years, ensuring the Army stays ahead of rapidly evolving threats and mission-critical systems are resilient in contested environments.
ZODIAC is already directly supporting the priorities set out in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review. It will strengthen the Army’s ability to operate in contested environments, integrate seamlessly with NATO allies and respond effectively to state-based threats, while also supporting the Army’s Digital Targeting Web and ASGARD initiatives. Its modular, open architecture also supports the UK’s Land Industrial Strategy, enabling collaboration with British industry and SMEs to drive innovation and sustain sovereign capability.
ZODIAC has already proven its battlefield potential. The Army took the technology to the Warfighter 25-4 exercise that took place in May at Fort Cavazos in Texas, USA. ZODIAC was deployed as a key component to enable 3 (UK) Division to find and destroy enemy targets as part of a multinational US led Corps, comprising UK, US, French and German forces.
During the exercise, it enabled the Army to fully connect their own surveillance and weapons systems. Crucially, for the first time, it also shared real-time data smoothly with US forces, helping the UK to find and engage targets much more effectively than had previously been possible and, in doing so, becoming the US Army's first Digital Interoperable Partner.
During the course of the exercise, operator feedback necessitated a software update. The whole process, from initial request to deployed took less than 72 hours - an update that improved accuracy and accelerated the kill chain by a further 20 seconds. In a fast-moving, evolving battlefield, this acceleration could give the UK and its allies a crucial upper hand.
Brigadier Matt Birch, Senior Responsible Owner for the British Army’s Land ISTAR programme said: “With ZODIAC we have an operational capability that truly enhances the Army’s lethality – and it has been great to co-develop this solution with Roke. This success has been achieved by a genuine partnership demonstrating the best that linking the Army and industry can deliver. We look forward to continuing our partnership through this contract with Roke to mature the ZODIAC capability further.”
Paul MacGregor, Managing Director at Roke, added: “ZODIAC will be a vital enabler to the Army’s Recce-Strike vision, and will massively enhance the lethality of the Army. It is exactly the kind of building block envisioned in the SDR 2025’s goal to create a digital, responsive, lethal force operating seamlessly across all theatres, while actively supporting the Army’s Digital Targeting Web and ASGARD initiatives.
“More importantly, it’s not a technology that’s decades away - it is a proven, mission-ready capability. Over the next 12 months we will be working hard in our role as Mission Partner to help the Army turn strategic intent into operational reality.”
