The British Army’s intelligence and drone capabilities are moving forward, with the Ministry of Defence confirming key milestones in its Land ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) programme.
In a written parliamentary response, Minister of State Maria Eagle said the programme aims to “fuse data sources and ensure capacity for effective and faster decision-making,” with Project ZODIAC at its core.
ZODIAC’s Minimum Viable Product was delivered to 3 (UK) Division in 2024. The digital infrastructure will be put to the test during May’s Warfighter Exercise in the United States.
The system networks sensors to create a fused intelligence picture and automates data collection and analysis. It is intended to support faster command decisions in high-pressure battlefield environments.
Eagle also confirmed that the TIQUILA drone system, a new Uncrewed Air System for Brigade and Divisional operations, has reached Initial Operating Capability.
“TIQUILA is on schedule to reach Full Operating Capability by mid-2026, which will deliver a further 21 detachments that are fully integrated into the ZODIAC system,” she added.
TIQUILA’s hardware will also be upgraded to operate in GPS-denied environments, offering greater resilience and range through spiral development.
These updates position the Land ISTAR effort as a major step towards the Army’s digital transformation, with implications for future conflict readiness and NATO integration, here’s the update in full.
“The Land Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) programme will deliver a suite of new sensor systems and enable a digitalised Army, by fusing data sources and ensuring capacity for effective and faster decision-making. At the core of the programme is project ZODIAC, which will provide the digital infrastructure required to network our sensors into a fused intelligence picture that is displayed across the network and automate our intelligence collection and analytical processes.
The ZODIAC Minimum Viable Product was delivered to 3 (UK) Division in 2024. Following a period of continuous development, enabled by the agile nature of the project, it will deliver the backbone of the Divisional ISTAR system for the forthcoming Warfighter Exercise in the US in May 2025.
The TIQUILA project will provide a new Uncrewed Air System (UAS) to support Brigade and Divisional Operations. It has now achieved its Initial Operating Capability, delivering three trained and equipped detachments into the Joint Aviation Command (JAC). TIQUILA is on schedule to reach Full Operating Capability by mid-2026, which will deliver a further 21 detachments that are fully integrated into the ZODIAC system.
Under TIQUILA’s spiral upgrade programme, platforms will be fitted with resilient hardware and Long-Range Antennas, enabling them to operate in Global Navigation Satellite Systems-denied environments with greater reach.”
