Within STRILAB, the Life Guards Brigade’s (IB 1) own war incubator, a five-week programme has produced a new plugin for the situational awareness app ATAK that digitises requests for indirect fire, moving the process from voice networks to direct digital messaging, according to project initiators Jakob Blomqvist and Fabian Duke.

How the ELD Plugin Modernises the Fire Control Chain

Orders that previously relied on verbal exchanges across multiple radio tiers can now be transmitted directly through a mobile application. Lukas Nilsson, a contracted reserve soldier (GSS/T) and developer on the project, and Albert Oscarsson, a reserve officer in indirect fire support and civil engineering student, built the ELD plugin to address decades-old technology gaps.

Units currently depend on the Radio 180 and wired communication for mortar platoons, which forces formations to concentrate and increases vulnerability to drone threats. The traditional manual order-giving process uses the mnemonic VISSSTBOA. According to Albert Oscarsson, an ordinary rifleman outside the fire control chain must pass requests verbally through four separate levels, from squad leader to platoon commander, company commander, and fire support officer.

“Each level has to remember it and repeat it on a new radio system,” Albert Oscarsson says. “That makes it slow and complicated, and in practice it’s rarely, if ever, practised.”

Integration with ATAK and Operational Workflow

The ELD tool operates as a plugin within ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit), an open-source Android application part of the broader American TAK ecosystem. ATAK provides units with a shared digital real-time situational picture down to the individual soldier, functioning alongside maps, compasses, overlays, and radios.

“You get a map you can draw on, and a ready-built messaging system,” Lukas Nilsson states. The platform handles encryption natively, allowing the entire indirect fire chain—from the forward observer requesting fire, to the fire support officer distributing it, and the gun crew firing it—to operate within a single system.

Within the interface, users select the engagement system—mortar, artillery, FPV drone, or anti-tank missile. Targets are entered via coordinates or by direction and distance from a reference point, alongside ammunition type, firing pattern, and rate of fire.

Bottom-Up Development Versus Legacy Acquisition

Unlike larger command and control systems procured through traditional top-down channels, ELD began directly with the end user at the mortar platoon level. Following the five-week development period, prototypes have been tested by mortar platoons in Sweden, with the team visiting units including I21 in Sollefteå and the Life Guards in Stockholm to gather feedback for autumn trials.

While the technical prototype is functional, the developers note that administrative hurdles remain significant. “If you make a spade, you’re expected to write a twenty-page instruction manual on how to use it,” Albert Oscarsson notes. “I think the soldiers can figure it out themselves.” Moving forward, the project could be adopted directly by the Swedish Armed Forces or licensed to a defense contractor to handle documentation and formal processing through the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is STRILAB?

STRILAB is the Life Guards Brigade’s (IB 1) own war incubator and combat laboratory where reserve officers and soldiers use startup-style working methods to develop military technology and methods from the ground up.

What does the ELD plugin do?

The ELD plugin digitises requests for indirect fire within the ATAK application, replacing a manual, four-step verbal radio relay process with direct digital messaging.

What platform does ELD run on?

ELD runs as a plugin on ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit), an Android application utilizing the American TAK system for shared real-time operational mapping and communication.

What are the next steps for the ELD project?

The developers aim to get the tool out to as many users as possible as proof of concept, with potential pathways including direct adoption by the Swedish Armed Forces or transition through an established defense company to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV).

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