A CLOSED department store in Swindon town centre was the venue for a dramatic military training exercise. 

Debenhams closed down during the lockdown in 2020 and has been empty up until last month when the British Army paid the town a visit and used it to stage a test involving new radio battlefield management information systems, drones and digital 'throwbots'. 

The training saw the 2nd Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment, (2RYORKS), the Army’s experimental infantry unit, turn the former store in Swindon town centre turned into an urban training area over four nights and the surrounding rural area used to train navigation and battlefield awareness.

Read More: Debenhams Swindon: YouTube video shows inside closed store

The aim was to see how the latest equipment could benefit the soldiers’ ability to move quickly and decisively through confined spaces.

Arriving in Swindon in civilian vehicles in the early hours of the morning they were tasked to clear the store floor by floor before exiting the building.

During their mission, they were aided by the latest generation of Dismounted Situational Awareness (DSA) to understand the battlespace, while Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and ‘reconnaissance throwbots’ that can be thrown over walls or into buildings, provided real-time video to aide commanders in a congested environment.

The throwbots are designed to automatically self-right after landing. With their movement directed by remote control, the throwbots give soldiers a real-time video view of what lies around the corner or inside a building. 

Providing an overview of the battlefield, the DSA is effectively a smartphone, loaded with programmes including mission, intelligence, and mapping apps which improve the soldier’s situational awareness. It uses a new developmental radio system to link them together.

It provides the location of soldiers to commanders with pinpoint accuracy, allowing them to visualise the terrain and picture and message data immediately to each other. It can also be used to call in artillery and air strikes on enemy targets. 

The commander of group, Colonel Toby Till, said: “How to hide, survive and use the urban environment as a sanctuary was a challenge but the soldiers adapted to the real-life challenges. Using the DSA tool, they could operate effectively and make tactical actions swiftly and effectively.”

Following the tests, the soldiers give feedback about the pros and cons for each of the technologies and equipment. 

“Our young soldiers know their voice counts and their experiences with this kit will help shape how we fight in the future,” said Colonel Till. “It is constant learning, nonstop experimenting and trying new concepts and formations and new ways of training," said Colonel Till.