Three representatives from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence recently participated in NATO Allied Command Transformation’s Coalition Warrior Interoperability eXploration, eXperimentation, eXamination eXercise (CWIX) 2024. They tested a unique and robust Ukrainian battlespace management system, called DELTA, for its interoperability within a NATO environment.
These Ukrainians work for the Centre of Innovations and Defence Technologies Development of the Digital Branch of their Ministry of Defence. The Centre of Innovations, which has been at the forefront of DELTA’s development since 2016, is responsible for this ground-breaking system. Their close collaboration with NATO’s experts, leveraging their expertise in developing situational awareness tools, and their participation in the Interoperability Continuum, including their victory in NATO Allied Command Transformation’s TIDE Hackathon in 2017 with two nominations, have been instrumental in DELTA’s evolution.
DELTA, a system developed for, and by, the military, is the largest Ukrainian integration platform and national data lake that operates in the cloud. It is unique in its ability to create situational awareness tools, such as a digital map platform that allows for manual information input or integration with various sensors, trackers, radars, and satellite providers. This enables users to track the location of friendly forces and identify enemy positions.
“DELTA is an ecosystem of different military products. We actually call it ‘Google for military’ because after a single login, you have access to different modules in the system. Google helps to organize your workspace, DELTA helps to organize your ‘war’ space.”
Lieutenant Colonel Yelyzaveta Boiko, Ukrainian Army, Capability Lead for the Centre of Innovations and Defence Technologies Development of the Digital Branch of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence
After the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, the services that DELTA provided for Ukrainian frontline combatants grew tremendously. The new functionality is based on the feedback from the fields. Thanks to these inputs, DELTA’s developers are able to release new functionality frequently because their primary goal is to provide their fellow service members everything they need to efficiently target the enemy and protect their own lives, as well as the lives of their families.
Presently, the DELTA capability provides the Ukrainian military with the following:
- situational awareness;
- streaming services for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and stationary cameras;
- secured chat;
- planning tools and synchronization matrix for reconnaissance and target acquisition assets;
- integration of the robotic systems;
- …and more is always in development!
Their system is being used in active combat situations and has proven itself capable and effective in combat operations (well documented in the following publications: The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal). This real-time employment of DELTA in combat is why the development team wanted to test the interoperability of main integration standards at CWIX, so that they could address any technical issues before the additional weaponry from the West is provided to Ukraine. During the first three years of Ukraine’s CWIX involvement, they tested only one interoperability standard in one Focus Area. The next year they tested four standards, and in 2024, they test 5 different standards used in 13 Focus Areas. They also participated in some new Focus Areas and operational scenarios in order to prove the same capabilities that they were experiencing first-hand on the ground in Ukraine. The goal is to have DELTA be the most effective integration platform across different security areas.
The Centre of Innovations and Defence Technologies Development team from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has proven the possibility of exchanging the full operational picture between different allied nations and systems developed by NATO. This includes sharing data from Air, Maritime, Land, Cyber, and Space domains, as well as medical and logistics data, in the appropriate interoperability protocols so that they could be shared between nations as well.
During the weeks of testing at CWIX, the Ukrainian team stirred keen interest among representatives of other countries. The team made numerous presentations to various national delegations and received high praise for their work. Representatives of many countries were impressed with the level of development and professionalism from these Ukrainian specialists, especially when they face so many serious challenges in their country during Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.
Additionally, the main components of DELTA, and the team’s purpose at the CWIX24, were also presented to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne, and Deputy Chief of Staff Capability Development, Vice Admiral Jeffrey Hughes. They appreciated the work of the team to ensure the interoperability of Ukraine and innovativeness in the choice of approaches while developing the system. By showcasing DELTA’s interoperability at CWIX, Ukraine has positioned itself as a leader in battlefield innovation. Their expertise and perseverance in developing this critical system during wartime serve as an inspiration to the global defence community. With continued collaboration between Ukraine and NATO, this adaptable system is poised to become a cornerstone of allied interoperability, ensuring a more unified and effective defence posture.
