Do you know that you are surrounded by devices working on the internet, and surprisingly, these devices have become an indispensable part of your daily life?
Yes, the internet is not a want but a need in today’s times. I can assure you that you can live without reading a newspaper or your personal vehicle,
but if your internet connectivity is gone for an hour, you will get frustrated more than missing your flight during an emergency situation, and you have to accept it, as it is a bitter truth.
Over the years, there have been many technological evolutions in the industry; specifically, the internet has evolved a lot in the past decade. The advent of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet Of Things, or IoT, has created a buzz in every industrial segment worldwide.
As these high-end technologies are proving to be a great help for businesses, most organizations are keen on utilizing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the internet of things (IoT).
When every industrial segment utilizes such high-end technology, why would the military and defence sectors be behind? You can witness the best use of artificial intelligence and machine learning by the defence sector.
And now, the military is trying to implement the internet of things for their operations and other defence-related tasks. So how IoT can be beneficial for the military and defence sectors, let us find out in the further section of this article. But before that, let us understand a bit about the internet of things (IoT).
Internet of Things (IoT)
The internet of things, or IoT, is a system of devices that are connected over a network of internet or communication channels.
In simple words, we can define the internet of things (IoT) as a network of devices, like sensors, software, and digital devices, that collect and exchange data with other devices in the system with the help of internet connectivity.
Let us take an example to understand the internet of things in brief. You must be aware of devices like Alexa and talking assistants like Apple’s Siri, as these are the best examples to understand the internet of things.
Whenever you ask Alexa or Siri for any query, it instantly provides you with the solution for it or tells you where you can get the best answer to your questions. Such devices are always connected to the network, and whenever asked for assistance, they search the internet and provide you with the appropriate solution.
Even smart devices like electronic appliances, lightning and home decors can be controlled with the help of virtual assistance devices that come under IoT.
Let us take another example; if you instruct your Alexa device or google assistant to switch on your living room’s light, close the curtains, or even switch on your TV, it will do it in a fraction of seconds, as all these smart devices would be connected through the internet and a network of devices created by you.
So, this is how IoT devices work; we discussed this to make you understand the basics of the internet of things so that you can easily grasp what we will be looking at in the further section of this article.
IoT in Military
When we talk about the military, the only thing that comes to mind is war, encounters, rescue missions, and most search operations done on the ground, air and oceans. Every nation tries to power its military sector with the latest battleships, armoury, combat skills, and technological aspects.
The top four nations that are considered to have powerful militaries like, the USA, Russia, China and India are equipped with all the latest high-end weapons and armoury and have a solid backup of technology.
Because of the rise in actions opposed to the military, implementing IoT in the armed forces and the defence sector has become obligatory.
The Internet of Things (IoT) can help existing military and defence infrastructures become more efficient and effective, dramatically reducing the number of lives lost and the amount of equipment destroyed during the war.
Incorporating Internet of Things technology into any form of activity, whether it be warfare on the battlefield, surveillance of an enemy base, or search and rescue.
In order for the military and defence to be able to carry out successful operations, combining IoT with Machine Learning can provide additional assistance to the military and defence in gaining important insights into the battlefield in real-time.
When we talk about the technology used in the military, people only think about radars, bomb detectors, high-end weapons, and so on, but it is not just limited to these things.
As we are talking about the internet of things in this article, let us now focus on the applications of the internet of things (IoT) in the military.
IoT in Military Applications
In today’s environment, military operations are getting increasingly difficult to foresee and more complex to carry out. The use of IoT technology can assist defence and military personnel in making appropriate decisions in increasingly stressful settings. Below is the list of the most significant applications of IoT in the defence and military sectors.
Collecting Battlefield Data
The Internet of Things enables the military to conduct battlefield reconnaissance using unmanned aerial drones that are fitted with cameras and other sensors. These drones can capture live photos, map the terrain and pinpoint the location of the adversaries, and transmit real-time data to the command centre. Officers can keep a watchful eye on the battleground and promptly make choices using the data provided here.
Monitoring the health and fitness of the soldiers
Knowing the health state of a soldier is another key application of internet of things technology in defence and the military. To do this, sensors are sewn into the uniforms of the soldiers and officers so that their physical and mental well-being may be monitored at a centralized location.
A person’s heart rate, body temperature, and thermal distribution can all be monitored by sensors, in addition to specific behavioural characteristics like speech patterns.
The information that their medical state changes can be communicated to their doctors in real-time, allowing the doctors to prepare for medical supplements or equipment in advance based on the patient’s requirements and current condition.
Fleet Management
For any military operation to be successful, it is crucial that vehicles be regularly serviced and that ammunition and men be transported quickly and easily.
The Internet of Things (IoT) can aid in tracking goods from their origin to their needed location on the battlefield through the use of connected sensors and analytics.
The installation of sensors in military vehicles allows for monitoring vital factors such as location, fuel consumption, damage, engine health, and more.
Military fleets may immediately discover discrepancies and implement fixes with the help of smart tracking of defence and military transportation; this allows them to save money on gas and labour by decreasing the number of times an employee needs to move something.
Arms, ammunition, and unmanned vehicles can all be monitored in the same way. Incorporating sensors into weaponry would let the soldiers know when to reload. When conducting covert operations on hostile territory, unmanned devices might be followed and monitored.
Enemy Identification
It is possible for adversaries to enter military bases by disguising themselves as civilians or using stolen identification badges.
IoT sensors can take pictures of a person’s iris, fingerprints, and other forms of biometric data to establish a person’s identity and locate persons who may be at risk. The identification by IoT devices would lower the risk of any intrusion in the border areas that can be dangerous to the nation’s security.
Smart Army Base
Incorporating the Internet of Things, or IoT sensors and devices, into military facilities can increase the effectiveness, efficiency, and usability of base-based assets and services.
It can aid in efficient resource management, automated screening, and more. Military facilities can increase their capacity and productivity through smart management of resources like water and power.
Data Processing & Analysis
The information that IoT collects regarding numerous defence and military areas, such as weapons, aircraft, fleet, and personnel, can potentially boost the efficiency of their intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.
The armed forces may be able to identify important threats more promptly and accurately with the help of the data acquired concerning these regions. The obtained data can be analyzed by military personnel, allowing for the identification of patterns and the derivation of correlations.
Remote Training Facility
The Internet of Things can be of assistance to military personnel in their preparation for actual combat situations.
Movement, audio, and other types of sensors can screen the employees while they are being prepared or practising and then convey the data and insights gained from this screening to the coaches who are training them.
Analysis of the Military IoT market
The expanding usage of IoT in the front line of the executive’s frameworks for uncommon operations and the changing concept of warfare are driving the rapid expansion of the global military IoT market.
The global military IoT market is predicted to earn USD 17,720.6 million by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.64% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2030.
The Internet of Things is a tool for creating value for information. In the private sector, the production and distribution of labour and goods with the maintenance and upkeep of the underlying infrastructure are transformed with the help of technology and, most prominently, by the IoT.
IoT has a major impact on the business world, bringing about significant enhancements in efficiency and usefulness of technology in various segments.
IoT is the integration of several integrative domains, such as networks, installed equipment, radio range, flexible processing, web innovation, programming designs, sensor frameworks, energy productivity, and information analysis.
The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) is supported by declining costs and mass production of increasingly sophisticated microelectronics, such as sensors, processing units, and collectors.
The growth of the global military IoT market is anticipated to be driven by factors such as the expansion of remote systems administration, computerized capacity, the proficiency of processing structures,
the development of innovative programming applications and examinations, and the most recent advances in AI techniques for massive data analysis.
What makes the military IoT market big?
The Global Military IoT Market is expanding at a noteworthy rate because of the changing concept of warfare and the enhanced usage of IoT in front-line-the-board frameworks (BMS) for exceptional missions.
The rising use of IoT in BMS for restricted actions and the evolving form of conflict are significant market growth drivers. In 2018, North America dominated the global military IoT market with a share of approximately 10.64%.
The military IoT comprises the use of technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS) and satellite communication to provide military officials with real-time data.
IoT devices are utilized in tanks and other army vehicles, aircraft, and ships to facilitate the armed forces with the necessary data required during missions.
With this, the revenue generated by the military IoT market is increasing rapidly and is eventually becoming one of the few market segments with a high CAGR during the forecast period of 2022 to 2030.
Apart from this, the Integration of IoT into the military is increasing momentum since the technology is widely regarded and utilized globally. In several industrialized and developing regions, including North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, the government is investing heavily and promoting the use of IoT.
With the increasing complexity and nature of battles and the rising demand for a nation’s territory security, governments worldwide are expanding their investments in innovative technologies to boost military effectiveness, which is why the market for military IoT is growing rapidly.
The current trend in the Military IoT market
Implementing 5G technology in military applications is the latest ongoing trend. 5G enables the connection of numerous devices, including those with inbuilt smart sensors.
5G data transfer rates are one hundred times quicker than current rates, which will assist minimize network latency, one of the most important factors in the military industry.
In the coming years, the high potential of 5G technology will increase the global demand for more military IoT devices. It will assist military troops in real-time, high-speed data transfer.
Using this technology, communication between military devices and individuals will be faster, more efficient, and steadier since data can be instantly received and processed in the system, thereby aiding in making sound decisions.
So, with all the information we have discussed till now, it is pretty evident that the applications of the latest technologies like IoT and smart devices prove to be as important as a weapon in the hand of an armed soldier protecting the country, eventually making the military strong and efficient.