Systemic Data Exchange Integration: Analysing the Interaction Between Terminal Guidance System Manufacturers and the Ukrainian Defence Forces

Boryviter presents the findings of a study on optimising data exchange between terminal guidance system developers and military crews. Implementing a unified data exchange protocol and engaging the specialised AI community as a platform for systemic integration will accelerate the doctrinal adaptation of technologies and significantly reduce the cognitive load on military personnel.

The Operational Challenge

The current communication model between terminal guidance system manufacturers and military users is decentralised, fragmented, and based on informal personal contacts. The absence of a single standard leads to situational data exchange, which blocks the systemic improvement of innovative products. Concurrently, military crews are forced to spend combat time duplicating identical information for various developers, performing a significant portion of telemetry collection processes manually.

Analytical Assessment

Commissioned by the Artificial Intelligence Community of Interest, Boryviter experts conducted in-depth interviews with UAV operators, manufacturers, and representatives of the Brave1 platform. The research identified the following institutional barriers:

• Absence of an agreed protocol: Crews lack a clear list of required data, marking formats, and secure channels for their transmission.
• Lack of cross-sector coordination: Manufacturers act in isolation and do not always consider the actual combat capabilities of the military, creating an unnecessary operational load.
• Absence of a unified coordinating structure: Current periodic stakeholder meetings fail to provide manufacturers with a stable data flow and the military with automated collection tools.

Conclusions and Recommendations

To facilitate capability development, it is proposed to designate the specialised AI Community of Interest as a permanent platform for facilitating and shaping common approaches. It does not perform regulatory functions but consolidates the industry's position for interaction with the General Staff and Brave1.

The list of corrective actions, formed based on the research findings, relies on the DOTMLPFI (Doctrine, Organisation, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Interoperability) capability development methodology and envisages:

• Agreement among manufacturers on a minimum protocol for data collection and exchange (information types, formats, channels, security measures).
• Development of a comprehensive questionnaire to identify gaps in telemetry transmission processes.
• Validation of the protocol jointly with crews to develop solutions for automating collection and reducing manual work.
• Formation of a consolidated request to Brave1 regarding the deployment of a unified secure database.
• Initiation of a pilot implementation of the standardised model in designated units for testing and further scaling of best practices.

This systemic integration will systematise datasets, preserve innovation opportunities, and protect developers' commercial information, equipping the Defence Forces with effective and validated technical tools.