With HexaForce, multi-domain naval warfare enters a new dimension
© Gauthier Chauffrut
On September 17th, Thales unveiled HexaForce, its sovereign AI-augmented military command system for NATO and allied countries. On the occasion of Euronaval, discover how naval forces integrate and contribute to multi-domain operations (land, sea, air, cyber, space) and multi-field operations (electromagnetic and informational) thanks to this solution.
Today, naval forces have military command tools to support decision-making at sea and in land-based command centres.
However, in a context of accelerating conflict tempo and the explosion of data, it is imperative to harness the power of this data—particularly through AI—to gain a decisive operational advantage by speeding up decision-making and coordinating actions at all command levels.
This is where HexaForce comes in: Thales’ multi-environment, multi-domain command and control (C2) solution that breaks down silos and connects them in an open way.
From combat ship data to operational strategy recommendations
Let’s consider a first scenario: a suspicious vessel is detected via a helicopter or drone. The captured data is sent in real time to the ship and then transmitted to HexaForce, where it is compared against intelligence databases and fed into AI algorithms for in-depth behavioural analysis. The vessel is identified, and its information is cross-referenced with multiple sources to better characterise the potential threat. Additionally, AI capabilities can predict a likely trajectory and recommend an engagement strategy, suggesting the best available resources to deploy in the affected area.
This is now a reality with Thales’ new C2 system.
In short, HexaForce scales up the cross-referencing and processing of operational data and supports the planning of naval force missions by integrating the constraints associated with the different effects to be delivered at sea—or across other environments and domains. A small revolution for the naval domain.
Guaranteeing sovereignty at sea and expanding mission capabilities
Thanks to its open and interoperable architecture (based on open-source standards), HexaForce enables States to associate the technological partners of their choice within a controlled modular environment, combining command performance and sovereignty. HexaForce thus breaks down silos and does so in an open manner: Thales' solution offers clients the maximum possible sovereignty because they are not dependent on the solution.
Additionally, HexaForce scales up by preparing joint missions and multiplying data exchange capabilities with various mission systems (CMS). HexaForce thus establishes itself as the orchestrator of all systems within armed forces and coalitions, accelerating decision-making and providing a decisive advantage at all operational levels.