Global defence technology specialist MARSS has announced a major breakthrough in its AI-enabled NiDAR platform, which will improve critical decision-making at tactical, operational, and strategic levels.
Initially developed to meet the bespoke requirements of a Middle East customer, the newly upgraded system – NiDAR Nation Shield – extends NiDAR to the national mission command level for the first time.
The greatest impact comes from the unified operating system that spans every tier of operations – from the tactical edge, through sector-level activity, up to national and strategic oversight. The same NiDAR platform runs across all devices: a soldier in the field can access NiDAR on a ruggedised tablet, while at the highest level the same platform drives screens in a national control hub. This consistency provides warfighters and commanders at every level with a single, coherent operating picture, dramatically enhancing their ability to act rapidly, consistently, and in unison.
Robbie Draper, Director of Operations at MARSS, said: “This development marks a step change in how warfighters make critical decisions across the modern battlespace.
“With every level of operational decision-making now unified within NiDAR – from personnel, vehicles, and mobile defences at the tactical edge, through brigade, division, and air operations, all the way up to national mission command – everyone can access the same data, displayed simultaneously and consistently. This delivers a decisive advantage, cutting decision cycles from minutes to seconds and enabling seamless coordination between manned and autonomous systems.
“NiDAR Nation Shield is entirely unique in its ability to provide this single, common operating picture at every level of command.”
NiDAR Nation Shield integrates feeds from a huge range of sensors and systems into one coherent view – from whole strategic sites covered by dozens of sensors and sensor types, to man-portable assets and even uncrewed sensor nodes, managed through MARSS’ Autonomous Mission Management. Operators can switch between sites and data sources at the touch of a button, with NiDAR’s AI-enabled hybrid intelligence turning complex inputs into clear, actionable decisions and enabling assets to be deployed within seconds.
What makes NiDAR Nation Shield so intuitive is that it brings data from every type of sensor onto a single screen. Instead of juggling multiple displays and interfaces, operators see one consistent picture with a common language and controls. This not only streamlines decision-making but also reduces the training burden, with warfighters and operators only needing to learn and operate a single system.
Robbie added: “With the capability to consolidate data from as many different platforms, systems, and sensors as the user requires, there is huge potential for other nations and coalitions to adopt this scalable model.