War Herald 2026: Lithuania and Systematic demonstrate ‘sensor-to-shooter’ chain

Lithuania's War Herald 2026 exercise showcased SitaWare's ability to seamlessly integrate drones, sensors, and legacy systems into a real-time sensor-to-shooter chain, accelerating battlefield decision-making

Lithuania’s War Herald 2026 exercise achieved a crucial milestone: the full integration of drones and sensors with the SitaWare battle management solutions. With close support from Systematic engineers, the exercise showed how legacy and emerging systems can become key elements of the sensor-to-shooter chain.

War Herald took place in February. The exercise aimed to demonstrate, develop and test the sensor-to-shooter chain from drones to effectors, speeding the decision-making process from the moment a target is detected to the deployment of any means to counter the threat.

SitaWare was central to these objectives, providing a unified platform to integrate advanced technologies. A range of sensors and drones were fully integrated into the BMS, delivering real-time data transfer even when satellites or commercial networks were not available.

Longstanding partnership

War Herald is just the latest example of Systematic’s longstanding partnership with Lithuania. The company has worked closely with the Lithuanian Armed Forces for almost a decade, with the country an active user of SitaWare in a range of applications, including the SitaWare Fire Support Module. It has also deployed SitaWare Frontline into its Boxer Infantry Fighting Vehicles, providing a comprehensive view of the battlefield.

Experts from Systematic Oy Finland played a role in both setting up the environment and supporting the use of SitaWare as required.

“War Herald demonstrated how experienced users like representatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, with a little support from us Systematic engineers, were able to prove how the sensor-to-shooter chain can incorporate modern technologies, including new drones and sensors, and how they can work efficiently with different types of communication systems,” said Solution Engineer Sauli Virtanen, who helped run preplanned tests and demonstrations during the exercise.

Flexible interoperability

The exercise demonstrated SitaWare’s ability to work with a variety of drones and sensors, noted Virtanen. Modern dismounted squads need a range of digitised equipment to support their missions; cutting-edge BMS software should offer a high degree of flexibility to support this interoperability.

This capability is built on an open architecture and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that incorporate a wide variety of data types. SitaWare also supports such messaging standards as Cursor-on-Target, which can ensure interoperability in data transfer.

The sensor-to-shooter chain will only expand in importance in the era of multi-domain operations. It will remain a crucial focus of exercises, including NATO’s Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise (CWIX) 2026 and the US-led Bold Quest.

“It’s clear that sensors and effectors will continue to rapidly evolve,” said Virtanen. “Systematic will work closely with customers like the Lithuanian Land Forces to deliver an effective and flexible sensor-to-shooter chain that can adapt to future challenges.”