Future soldier programmes: An overview

‘Future Soldier’ programmes aim to upgrade infantry capabilities through technology. Disparate nations take different approaches to the Future Soldier concept. Some pursue fully integrated development and procurement programmes, sometimes involving dozens of different components. Others favour separate programmes to improve individual elements of soldier kit.

Many of these programmes include physical hardware to enhance soldier survival, reduce physical stress, and/or directly enhance lethality. Improved armour, harnesses, and infantry weapons and accessories are frequent elements. However, most current future soldier concepts are centred around the force multiplier capabilities of cutting-edge electronics including sensors, communications and networking systems, and increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) features.

United States

The United States Army is among the services pursuing disaggregated soldier enhancement programmes. Key programmes under the Army’s Program Executive Office – Soldier (PEO Soldier) are divided into six key modernisation categories including Soldier Lethality (SL). The SL portfolio includes the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) programme and situational awareness/visual aid programmes including the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). Individually and jointly, these new systems are designed to enhance both survivability and lethality. A third technology set, the Soldier Protection System (SPS), is being developed and fielded through the PEO Soldier’s Soldier Survivability programme office, and aims to introduce new body armour.

NGSW

The NGSW consists of the M7 Rifle and the M250 Automatic Rifle, both chambered in a new 6.8 × 51 mm (also known as .277 Fury) cartridge. The new firearms, developed by Sig Sauer, will replace the M4 carbine and the M249 squad automatic weapon, respectively, with frontline fighting units; each weapon is equipped with the Vortex Optic XM157 sight and fire control system (FCS). Fielding began in March 2024 with the 101st Airborne Division and on 20 May 2025, the Army announced that NGSW system had proven that it meets the service’s standards for operational performance, safety, and sustainment. In extended evaluation before and since fielding, the Pentagon has concluded that the new weapons will significantly increase range and accuracy over legacy firearms. A dissenting opinion published in April 2025 by an infantry officer who criticised the accuracy, reliability and weight of the M7 has been rejected by the Army as being based on incomplete observations. That being said, the latest annual report by the Department of Defense’s Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOTE) did note negative soldier feedback regarding the XM157 optic. Usability was described as below average/failing, according to the 2024 DOTE Report released in January 2025. Unlike the two firearms, the optic is still officially classified as being in testing.

IVAS

The IVAS programme has been plagued by technical difficulties as well as negative user feedback since its inception. The device is based on the Microsoft Hololens augmented reality/mixed reality (AR/MR) headset. The military IVAS is intended to enhance each soldier’s situational awareness and tactical decision-making capability. It consists of a visor-like heads-up display (HUD), a body-worn computer (the ‘puck’) and a networked radio. The combination goggle and AR/MR HUD’s capabilities include daylight vision, image intensification (I2) technology to enhance visibility in low-light conditions, thermal imaging, and augmented reality supported by situational awareness software. Additionally, the puck and radio can create a wireless connection between the HUD and a weapon-mounted digital sight, permitting soldiers to surveil their surroundings or engage targets while under cover.

In February 2025, Anduril Industries assumed management of the programme from Microsoft. One month earlier, the Army Contracting Command issued a request to industry “seeking information (…) regarding capabilities to develop and manufacture the IVAS Next system”. Both the information request and the restructuring of the existing programme indicated that a production decision regarding IVAS would not be made in 2025.

SPS

The multiple-component, modular SPS provides equal or greater protection to the head, neck, eyes, torso and groin than legacy body armour, at a reduced weight and improved comfort. The main components are: Torso and extremity protection (TEP), including the modular scalable vest (MSV), the lightly armoured ballistic combat shirt, and the blast pelvic protector; the vital torso protection (VTP) set of front, back and side armour plates for insertion into the MSV; and the integrated head protection system (IHPS) consisting of a base helmet, which can be augmented with mandible armour and goggles.

The SPS was introduced in 2016–2019, but three upgraded components are currently being procured. Fielding of the second-generation MSV and the third-generation VTP began in 2021 and is slated to be completed in 2028. Fielding of the Next Generation IHPS began in February 2024 with the 82nd Airborne Division undertaking testing and refinement of design ongoing to ensure that both protection and comfort are appropriately addressed for the full range of body types, including women. The Army plans to acquire 150,000 of each system subset.

Nett Warrior

The Army also continues to modernise the Nett Warrior system first introduced into service in 2012. Designed to provide dismounted tactical unit leaders (team level and above) with enhanced situational awareness and the ability to access the brigade-level integrated tactical network via ruggedised smartphones or ‘end-user devices’ (EUD). Dedicated mission software including the Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) provide access to real-time maps, messaging, and mission data feeds. As part of the ongoing upgrades, Elbit America has been contracted to supply 33,000 wearable next-generation USB hubs to connect EUDs to navigation aids, targeting devices, night and thermal imaging sensors, including sensors carried by unmanned systems.

Europe

ACHILE

The European Union initiated the Augmented Capability for High-end Soldiers (ACHILE) programme in June 2023 with a EUR 40 million grant from the European Commission. ACHILE is among the priority projects supported through the European Defence Fund (EDF) 2021. According to the EDF, the goal is to develop “highly innovative solutions in view of the next-generation Dismounted Soldier System by specifying, designing and demonstrating the benefits of open-system architecture based on GOSSRA and promising disruptive technologies improving survivability, sustainability, mobility, lethality, observation.” GOSSRA refers to the Generic Open Soldier System Reference Architecture, another EU defence initiative dating to 2018.

ACHILE has a 48-month timeline, during which it will proceed through sequential stages of harmonising operational concepts, defining user and system requirements at a European level, and demonstrating full-size prototypes under realistic conditions and in large-scale demonstrations. This involves collaboration among a wide consortium of industry partners from nine EU countries, as well as Norway. Ensuring interoperability among allies is a major concern of the programme. Safran Electronics and Defense acts as programme coordinator.

Development paths are split into four main areas: the Soldier Core and Soldier Extension both address individual capabilities, while the Team Core and Team Extension concentrate on squad-level functionality, networking, robotics, and interactions with advanced weapon systems. This segmented approach ensures that both personal protection and collective coordination can be enhanced in parallel.

Technologies being pursued for enhanced individual soldier capabilities include: augmented reality (AR) HUDs to provide soldiers with real-time battlefield data such as navigational cues, threat alerts, and tactical maps overlayed into the soldier’s field of view; more robust navigation systems beyond traditional GPS, integrating multiple tracking and sensing technologies to offer more precise localisation; and next-generation weapon sights to enhance targeting precision and speed-up engagement processes (smart systems that can interface with other soldier equipment to provide a synchronised operational picture, reducing the time required for target acquisition), as well as reduction of size, weight, and power (SWAP) requirements for personal equipment. Additionally, improved ergonomics designed to lessen physical strain while providing robust protection and functionality is also being pursued. Companies within the consortium, such as Spain’s Cyber Human Systems, are developing advanced combat exoskeletons designed to augment soldiers’ physical capabilities by reducing fatigue and increasing load-bearing capacity.

Augmented team capabilities being pursued under ACHILE include networked communications that ensure real-time data sharing between soldiers and command units, ensuring a shared operational picture, enhancing coordinated team manoeuvres and faster reaction times, in addition to robotics team integration for support functions such as unit equipment carriage or autonomous support during manoeuvres.

France: CENTURION

France executed its Fantassin à Équipement et Liaisons Intégrés (FELIN) “Infantryman with Integrated Equipment and Communications” programme in 2010–2015, improving situational awareness and combat effectiveness while reducing the burden on soldiers. The modular and mission-configurable system included improved communications gear and sensors, infantry weapons and advanced aiming aids, ballistic protection and ergonomically optimised uniforms and harnesses. In 2015, Paris issued Safran Electronics and Defense a contract to upgrade FELIN to the V 1.3 version, with deliveries to frontline units beginning in 2016. The upgrade included software enhancements to aid sharpshooter and mortar support, as well as hardware reconfiguration designed to improve observation and combat functions while reducing the system’s weight by up to 40% under certain conditions.

The next stage of the French Army’s infantry modernisation is the Cadre d’Études de Nouvelles Technologies et nouveaux Usages pour une Rapide IntégratiON au combattant (CENTURION) programme, led by Safran in partnership with Thales. Initiated in late 2019 by the French government’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the seven-year programme is a rapid-innovation accelerator for maturing individual technologies up to TRL6. The process begins with open calls for technology providers to propose solutions addressing operational needs. Proposals are evaluated by a scientific and technical committee including representatives from the DGA, the Agence de l’Innovation de Défense (AID), and the armed forces. Promising projects receive targeted support and funding for rapid development and testing to facilitate system integration.

 

The programme’s goals include enhancing soldier mobility, agility, survival and lethality. CENTURION’s foundation is based on open architecture frameworks including GOSSRA in order to facilitate rapid integration of new technologies. The system aims to improve infantry readiness for multi-domain operations (MDO) by integrating them into the networked land combat ecosystem. Collaborative warfare will enable personnel to understand, decide and act faster than their opponent. Key features include: advanced networked communication systems for real-time data sharing; improved protection and mobility through lightweight ballistic armour and ergonomically optimised carriage systems; AI integration for tactical operations and decision-making; next-generation night vision, thermal imaging, and target acquisition sensors; reduced power consumption; and modular equipment customisable for mission requirements. CENTURION leverages new materials and micro-technologies to create lightweight yet robust components.

Approximately 25 individual projects are being pursued under CENTURION, though none have been declared fielded as of mid-2025, despite ongoing operational testing and demonstrations, with some technologies reaching Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6). Graphics and videos released by the French MoD portray incremental enhancement of soldier protection, mobility and lethality via the CENTURION programme, with fresh upgrades evolving through the 2020s and beyond. These enhancements will ultimately flow into the Système d’Information du Combat de Scorpion Débarqué (SICS DEB), supporting full operational integration of dismounted infantry with the armoured platforms such as the Griffon and Jaguar being procured under the SCORPION programme.

Germany: IdZ

Like France, Germany has one of the most notable ‘future infantry’ programmes for enhancing both light and mechanised units. The initial Infanterist der Zukunft (IdZ) programme was initiated in 2004 and realised using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems. The follow-on IdZ-ES (Erweitertes System; ENG: Expanded System) ‘Gladius’ was a clean-sheet development which began deliveries in 2013, with 6,600 individual kits being distributed. IdZ consists of three subgroups: BST (Bekleidung, Schutz- und Trageausstattung – clothing, protective and load-carrying equipment), WOO (weapons, optics and optronics), and C4I (command, control, computers, communications and information). The modular system permits mission-specific assembly of equipment from each subgroup, whereby soldiers and units can select from approximately 80 individual components. The IdZ-ES common core centres around vest-mounted communications and networking equipment including the CeoTronics CT-MultiPTT 3C USB hub (into which electronic communications, data and sensor devices are plugged for cross-platform interface), tactical radios, digital navigation devices, multiple conformal batteries, as well as a hand-held control and visual display unit, as well as a communications headset. Squad and platoon leaders additionally are equipped with a ruggedised tablet computer.

As defined by the German Army, the system’s C4I component integrates the dismounted infantry into the networked operational command structure. Squad-level personnel are networked with one-another, while small unit leaders connect with higher echelons. This provides small units and individual soldiers with an up-to-date picture of the tactical situation and the current status of the forces in combat. Tactical decisions are made more quickly and based on more complete information. Lethality, survivability, manoeuvrability and endurance are enhanced.

 

The IdZ system continues to be improved. Designed for the specific needs of the German contingent leading the NATO Very-high-readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) in 2023, deliveries of the VJTF 2023 variant began in 2021. This variant placed a premium on updating command, control, communications, situational awareness and networking technology to the latest level, and integrating dismounted infantry with their infantry fighting vehicles for optimal coordinated operations. Together with vetronics and communications upgrades on the Puma infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and other armoured combat vehicles, the VTJF 2023 also forms the basis for the System Panzergrenadier, which fully networks vehicle sensors and weapons with those of the mounted and dismounted mechanised infantry.

In February 2025, Rheinmetall was awarded a contract for a further modernisation of the IdZ-ES on the basis of the VJTF 2023 configuration. According to Rheinmetall, this new “VJTF 2023 obsolescence-adjusted” design eliminates all technically obsolete components. It also “implements communication and data exchange capabilities with the Boxer armoured transport vehicle and Puma infantry fighting vehicle platforms as well as preparing it” for the airmobile forces’ new Caracal vehicle. Furthermore, the revised basic hardware of the soldier systems is also designed to integrate with the comprehensive Digitalisierung Landbasierter Operationen (D-LBO) information and communication network. By 2030, this Digitisation of Land-Based Operations system is expected to connect 10,000 tactical vehicles and platforms, as well as sensors. D-LBO will optimise the German armed forces for MDO and improve interoperability with allied forces on the digital battlefield.

The February 2025 framework contract has a value of EUR 3.1 billion and runs through 2030. It encompasses the procurement of up to 368 platoon systems. This includes the regeneration of 68 platoon systems currently in use to a digital standard, and production of 300 equivalent units built to the new standard. A platoon system comprises 34 individual soldier systems plus peripheral components including IT equipment, optics, optronics, clothing, protection and carrying equipment.

Spain: SISCAP

Spain initiated the Sistema de Combatiente a Pie (SISCAP) dismounted combat system programme in 2017. It aims to prepare the infantry component for the Army’s all-encompassing Fuerza 35 modernisation programme which will enable ground forces to manoeuvre and fight seamlessly in so-called “digitalised theatres of operations” in a network of systems adapted to the new combat cloud. The programme is administered by the Spanish MoD’s Dirección General de Armamento y Material (DGAM). Indra Sistemas, S.A. and GMV Innovating Solutions, S.L. partnered in 2017 to develop and demonstrate the SISCAP. Members of the Army’s elite Spanish Legion conducted an in-depth operational evaluation of the system in June 2024. According to GMV, this successful demonstration wrapped up Phase 1-b of the programme, placing SISCAP into a consolidation phase as new components and capabilities are added. The companies next hope to deliver seven prototypes in platoon leader configuration, then provide 40–50 pre-production kits of the operational configuration for evaluation in real-world missions. Indra predicts that full-rate production could begin by 2030.

According to GMV, the SISCAP programme is divided into seven subsystems: weapons and ammunition; fire effectiveness; information and communication; maintenance; survivability; energy supply; and readiness (training). The first two phases of the programme focused on fire effectiveness, the information and communication system, and the power supply, considered to be the most critical aspects. Key components include helmet-mounted, AR-augmented optics to provide situational awareness, targeting data, blue/red force tracking, and the ability to wirelessly view the image from the weapon’s optic; along with optical and thermal cameras; networked digital voice and data radios; and a tablet connected to the battlefield management system (platoon leader). The soldier-worn system can integrate with the Dragón 8×8 IFV, which will serve as a communications node between the unit and the tactical command and control centre.

 

Middle East

Israel: ‘Edge of Tomorrow’

In May 2022, the Israeli MoD’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and project integrator Elbit Systems unveiled the ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ programme. As defined by the MoD, the programme is designed to prepare infantry soldiers of the future and “aims to strengthen the synergy between individual soldiers and their teams through the adoption of the Soldier as System (SAS) and the Platoon as System (PAS) approaches”. The project builds upon collaborative R&D and concept development between the DDR&D, Army headquarters, and Elbit which began in 2016. The May 2022 press release cites a recent tactical demonstration by IDF personnel using wearable technologies reflecting the programme’s groundwork and internal validation, demonstrating initial abilities in the fields of lethality, survivability, and synergy between the individual soldier and the team.

At both the soldier and team level, the focus is on enhancing situational awareness, survivability, and lethality via a base layer of networking and assured positioning capability, according to an Elbit statement; at the unit level, the emphasis is on connectivity, collaborative time sensitive targeting, and data fusion to support distributed operations and faster decision-making in MDO environments.

While many details of the programme remain confidential, the MoD in 2022 did specifically cite “augmented reality goggles, a computerized assault rifle system, a digital head-mounted display system, hostile fire detection technology, a location-tracking system in GPS denied environments, tactile sleeves for navigation and command transmittance, and a voice command system (similar to systems used on smartphones)” as objective components. In July 2025, Elbit confirmed that this was an illustrative but not exhaustive list of technologies; additional subsystems under evaluation include (but are not limited to) AI for sensor fusion, energy-efficient power management, biometric monitoring, and adaptive camouflage. Additionally, stand-off sensing technologies, predictive analytics, and robotics will enhance both lethality and survival by permitting IDF personnel to operate with reduced exposure to their opponent.

According to Elbit, Edge of Tomorrow is structured as a multi-phase, evolutionary programme. Rather than culminating in a single fielding event, it introduces technologies incrementally as they mature. It runs in parallel with the Digital Army Program (DAP), a modernisation initiative launched in 2004 and aimed at transforming the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) into a fully networked, data-driven force. Elbit confirms that the programme is currently in advanced prototyping and operational experimentation. Components which have undergone field evaluation include SmartSight AR goggles, a next-generation weapon-mounted fire control system, dismounted blue-force tracking for GPS-denied environments, and a modular EUD. Some subsystems are already in limited field use with infantry units, while others are undergoing lab integration and environmental testing. Lessons learned from recent conflicts are informing the next development cycle.

 

Networking for the digital battlefield

While different nations have separate approaches to modernisation of infantry equipment programmes, many share the emphasis on digitisation and networking. Terms such as ‘digital battlefield’ and ‘combat cloud’ are consistently repeated in one form or another. Nations are in a literal race to make their armed forces – including dismounted infantry – faster, more agile, more accurate, and less visible. While hardware in one form or another, from uniforms and body armour to weapons and radios, forms the visible aspect of Future Soldier systems, electronics provide the decisive edge. Once the Future Soldier infantry networks are established, the next step becomes integration of dismounted personnel, vehicles, and other platforms including unmanned air and ground systems. The invisible web tying soldiers together – from the infantry squad level up to strategic headquarters – becomes the ultimate goal.

Sidney E. Dean