UK develops test and evaluation capability for autonomous systems

A trial held at Radnor Range, Wales, in October demonstrated how a blend of live and synthetic environments can be used to assure artificial intelligence. (Crown Copyright)

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 4 December that they have developed, alongside a consortium of companies, a new test and evaluation (T&E) capability for the assurance of autonomous systems under Project Zeus.

Led by Radnor Range, the new capability blends live and synthetic evaluation techniques to create a fast and more efficient approach to the T&E of autonomous systems. This involves using a synthetic, multilayered representation of a live range to generate evidence that is then tested and validated in live environments. This approach was successfully demonstrated on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) over a three-day period at Radnor Range, Wales.

This new agile approach can be used throughout the life cycle of a capability, from the very first concept through to acceptance in service and to end-of-life disposal. This should permit the latest autonomous technology to reach the hands of the military user faster, the MoD detailed.

Project Zeus was funded by the MoD's T&E Transformation Programme to help defence adopt new digital and deployable techniques, alongside increasingly capable live test ranges to assure and optimise military systems for the battlefield.

The companies involved in the consortium include Ansys, A-TechSYN, Atmosoar, EES Solutions, Flare Bright, GemaSecure, IDV Robotics, Nexus, Risk Reasoning, and Cambridge Sensoriis.