Roke supports British Army’s ARRCADE STRIKE

Above: Exercise ARRCADE STRIKE saw the AARC deploy a multinational command post at Charing Cross underground station.
Courtesy British Army

The Army showcased its digital defence capability during the exercise, demonstrating how ZODIAC will transform the way it shares and exploits data on the battlefield.

The event brought together senior Ministry of Defence leaders shaping the next phase of digital defence – including General Sir Roly Walker (Chief of the General Staff), Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton (Chief of the Defence Staff), and General Dame Sharon Nesmith (Vice Chief of the Defence Staff) – alongside allied leadership such as General Chris Donahue (Commander, Allied Land Command), UK Government ministers including Al Carns MP and Louise Sandher-Jones MP and Tan Dhesi MP (Chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee), as well as a distinguished and extensive group of senior military and interoperability partners, whose presence and engagement were greatly valued. 

Roke is the prime contractor for ZODIAC and was tasked by the army to integrate The Fire Control Battlefield Information System Application (FC-BISA,) developing an initial prototype within a week. This early-stage work will inform subsequent iterations as the capability matures. 

The ZODIAC Industry Team, led by Roke, supported the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), the newly launched 9th Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade (3 DRS) and 32 Regiment Royal Artillery, alongside the Enhanced Command and Control Spearhead (EC2SPHD) to deliver ARRCADE STRIKE. 

The exercise demonstrated the value in utilising ZODIAC on Tactical Comms over immense ranges to simulate the Corps ‘Deep Recce Strike’ concept in action, enabling an entirely digital, end-to-end Sense-Decide-Effect capability. 

ARRCADE STRIKE showcased this by simulating a live exercise, where a ZODIAC Edge Node in Larkhill gathered data from simulated enemy movements and sent sensor reports to a ZODIAC HQ Node in London. This data was then used to decide the effect – the activation of the FC-BISA integration, which is designed to coordinate and automate indirect fire support such as artillery, mortars and rocket systems. 

The exercise proved that:  

• Rapid development and integration is possible for the British Army: ARRCADE STRIKE demonstrated that Army technology development can move at operational speed, with Roke rapidly integrating The Fire Control Battlefield Information System Application (FC-BISA) into ZODIAC from concept to live capability in just seven days 
• Speed and integration are now combat advantages:  With Roke acting as a tech integrator, ARRCADE STRIKE showed how modular architectures and agile integration approaches can accelerate capability delivery without compromising operational relevance 
• Collaboration drives acceleration: Success was enabled by close partnership between Army and Roke technical teams working side-by-side to solve operational challenges quickly, proving that industry collaboration can drive accelerated innovation  

Marc Overton, Managing Director, Roke. said: “ARRCADE STRIKE was an outstanding success, proving that data can be transmitted over significant distances and converted into operational effect quickly and reliably.

"But, more than that, it demonstrates the Strategic Defence Review’s vision in practice. In the review, the government urged industry to collaborate more closely with the armed forces to accelerate innovation to keep the country safe. To make this rapid integration possible, Roke worked hand-in-hand with the Armed Forces, providing tangible evidence that defence innovation can be accelerated when military users, industry and technical teams work together in integrated development cycles.” 

Ahead of the demonstration, Roke integrated The Fire Control Battlefield Information System Application (FC-BISA) with the ZODIAC system in just one week – showing army tech development can move at operational speed

ARRCADE STRIKE demonstrates the Strategic Defence Review’s vision in practice, with Roke’s technical team working closely with the Army to make accelerated innovation possible

As demand for counter-drone capabilities continues to rise, the ability to field affordable systems and produce them at high rates is becoming central not only to battlefield effectiveness but to deterrence itself.