FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 1-109th Infantry Regiment are using artificial intelligence and unmanned aerial system technology to make one particular challenge less stressful for their Soldiers on the battlefield.
Calling for artillery fire is typically a race against time and chaos, every second a matter of life and death.
Fire support specialists, or forward observers, must use a range finder, GPS, compass, map and protractor to determine their position and a target’s position by grid coordinates. They also note a description of the target and the type of artillery required to neutralize it. Then they need to clearly and concisely communicate that information to a fire direction center over a radio, using precise radio etiquette.
They must do all that as quickly as possible, huddling over those tools and pinpointing those targets, while sometimes defending themselves from enemy fire.
This process is especially stressful and challenging in combat conditions.
During a demonstration at Fort Indiantown Gap on July 28, Soldiers with the 1-109th Infantry partnered with 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery Regiment and Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, or CMU’s SEI, to give Pennsylvania National Guard leaders a firsthand look at Project Shrike.
According to Lt. Col. David Caudle, commander of the 1-109th Infantry, the project reduces the complex task of calling for fire to mere seconds. It is a software package developed by CMU’s SEI in partnership with the U.S. Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center. This AI-enabled system enables artillery units to detect, target and engage threats with enhanced speed and precision.
According to Chad Hershberger, a software engineer with CMU’s SEI, making Shrike work seamlessly across commercial drone types requires adaptability and engineering creativity.
“Shrike is UAS-agnostic [unmanned aircraft systems-agnostic] but is constrained to platforms that provide the necessary telemetry with which calculations are performed,” Hershberger said. “While there is a standard for that telemetry, there are variations in how different platforms implement it. We overcome that by working to validate the data feeds from various UASs and develop platform-specific shims for non-standard data feeds.”
By integrating commercial drones, such as the Parrot Anafi USA used in the demonstration, with custom AI software, Shrike analyzes live drone video feeds to automatically spot, identify and locate targets on the battlefield. The system generates precise firing solutions, which are then reviewed by a human operator to ensure both efficiency and oversight. Its touchscreen interface allows Soldiers with little technical experience to operate advanced sensors effectively.
Hershberger made it clear that AI is a tool that helps Soldiers but does not replace their judgment.
“The system highlights targets and recommends firing solutions for operator decision,” Hershberger said. “The human is in the decision loop in order to accept or reject the system’s recommendation.”
By automating and speeding up how Soldiers spot threats and call in fire support, Project Shrike boosts their lethality and survivability in combat. Soldiers no longer lose precious time manually relaying data for fire missions. The system delivers rapid, accurate data, allowing them to call for fire support in seconds instead of minutes.
Ultimately, the project’s developers aim for a blend of AI speed and human oversight to empower Soldiers to fight more effectively and increase their chances of staying safe in rapidly changing combat environments.
Hershberger added that further testing of this new capability is key to ensuring a quality product on the battlefield.
“Integration testing and full-featured tests with Guard units are critical to improving features,” Hershberger said. “Regular interaction with Soldiers generates feedback that keeps improving the project. They turn ‘good ideas’ into ‘useful ideas.’”
The 1-109th Infantry and 1-107th Field Artillery are units within the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.
The U.S. Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center's mission is to accelerate AI integration through building a world-class workforce and product innovation.
The Pennsylvania National Guard aims to enhance efficiency and effectiveness by eliminating redundancy and distractions and empowering Soldiers, Airmen and civilian employees to implement innovative solutions.