UK MoD awards Roke £6.7 million contract under Land ISTAR programme
Paul MacGregor, Roke managing director (L) and the MoD's Brig John Collyer. (Photo: Roke)
Roke’s ZODIAC will act as the central nervous system for Land ISTAR. The award marks the start of an Alpha development phase to derisk delivery of the programme.
The UK MoD has awarded UK company Roke a £6.7 million ($9.3 million) contract for the supply of the ZODIAC system. It marks the start of an Alpha development phase to derisk delivery of the army’s Land ISTAR programme.
Land ISTAR will deliver an integrated and distributed system of sensors, applications and underlying system architecture that will enable the army to operate with greater precision and speed. ZODIAC will act as the ‘central nervous system’ for the programme.
According to Roke, it provides the systems required to ingest data from all battlefield sensors and from combined, joint, inter-agency, intra-governmental and multinational intelligence feeds.
‘It will need to fuse, analyse and distribute the resulting intelligence to battlefield users, integrating across land, sea, air, space and cyber and with allies’, the document pointed out.
During the Alpha phase of ZODIAC, Roke will be responsible for capturing requirements, initial design, solution architecture, risk reduction and market assessment for further development.
More from Land Warfare
-
![SAHA 2026: Is the Turkish Army’s Altay MBT finally ready?]()
SAHA 2026: Is the Turkish Army’s Altay MBT finally ready?
At SAHA 2026, the Altay was proudly on display. But has the platform finally overcome the problems that have left it repeatedly late?
-
![Finding the balance between armour and air defence as UAVs proliferate]()
Finding the balance between armour and air defence as UAVs proliferate
While the growing drone threat has sharpened the focus on air defence solutions, Dr Peter Magill looks at why protected mobility remains crucial.
-
![Saab Barracuda update prioritises drone protection on modern battlefield]()
Saab Barracuda update prioritises drone protection on modern battlefield
Barracuda multispectral camouflage systems have been developed over decades and are designed to conceal a range of infrared and ultraviolet signals as well as reducing detection by radar.
-
![Rheinmetall’s Lynx XM30 to go to “shakedown testing” ahead of its delivery to the US Army]()
Rheinmetall’s Lynx XM30 to go to “shakedown testing” ahead of its delivery to the US Army
The first Lynx XM30 platforms are in the final stages of construction and integration, to be handed over to the US Army in the coming months. Shephard caught up with Rheinmetall to find out more about the programme's progress.
-
![Romania selects Rheinmetall Lynx IFV as local defence manufacturing expands]()
Romania selects Rheinmetall Lynx IFV as local defence manufacturing expands
As part of a multi-billion-dollar vehicle and artillery overhaul, Romania has officially selected the KF41 Lynx IFV to replace its ageing Soviet-based platforms.
