§ Mr. KilfoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has commissioned on the effectiveness of smart technology weapons which has factored in combat identification; and what the findings were. [109222]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 14 April 2003]: Combat Identification capability contributes to military success by enabling commanders to distinguish rapidly and effectively between friend, foe and neutrals in complex modern military operations. This would normally happen before a decision was made to engage a target and the role of a weapon system would be to translate the decision into effect.
A key element of Combat Identification is Target Identification. Research on Target Identification relating to smart weapons systems is currently focused on the ability to distinguish, for example, between classes of vehicles—such as whether a vehicle is tracked or wheeled.