British Royal Marines to test new helmet camera

The British Royal Marines will test a new helmet camera that aims to provide them with access to more information to make tactical decisions during missions.

Claimed to be tough and weather proof, this purpose-built camera has the capability to perform under extreme conditions.

It links to a new network system, which allows the analysis of live data so that the information can be swiftly exploited.

MarWorks, the Royal Navy’s information warfare technology specialist, has procured the camera and the network.

This equipment is part of the Future Commando Force concept, which will see the Royal Marines operate in smaller lethal teams using the new technology.

The camera will work with the mobile network radios. The recently procured network radios have been undergoing trials with 40 Commando and Advanced Force Operations.

It is easily mountable and can work with open software to stream data.

MarWorks worked with Visual Engineering to adapt general-purpose cameras to fulfil marine requirements.

The feed can be streamed live over the network to marines on the ground, which helps in providing greater situational awareness. The information can also be fed to other members of the team so that they can view it on smart devices.

MarWorks has helped to set up a tactical IP network as part of Future Commando Force experimentation.

MarWorks programme manager Dave McInerney said: “This sort of challenge is exactly why technology accelerators such as MarWorks were established.

“We take a problem from the user community, try and find an affordable technical solution, if it is off-the-shelf then great but when it’s not quite there, we are able to work with industry, big and small, to develop a solution that meets the users’ need.”