thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ marine electronics division
ATLAS ELEKTRONIK is taking on the principal role in the
GhostPlay@SEA research project as consortium leader in
the development of new AI tactics for maritime defense. The
company is contributing to its extensive expertise in the
maritime sector and playing a central part in the development
of tactical artificial intelligence (AI) in the maritime defense
industry.
GhostPlay@SEA is a project funded by the Bundeswehr
technology program dtec.bw, which builds on the results of
the original GhostPlay project. GhostPlay created a so-called
‘Defense Metaverse’, a high-performance simulation
environment for AI-based combat simulations on land and in
the air.
This vision is now being expanded to include the maritime
dimension. The aim of the project is to explore AI-supported
methods in order to develop and evaluate new and proven
tactical behavior patterns and decision-making processes for
naval warfare. In addition, the transfer of virtually trained
tactics to real hardware will be researched and piloted.
Dr Jeronimo Dzaack, Co-Head of Future Tech, explains:
“GhostPlay@SEA aims to fundamentally change the way
future naval operations are planned and conducted and to
further expand the technological leadership of all partners
involved. In the virtual environment, highly complex combat
situations can be realistically simulated, and optimal tactics
can be safely tested.”
By using state-of-the-art AI and simulation technologies,
future threat scenarios – from drone swarms to autonomous
submarines – can be simulated in advance within a risk-free
virtual environment. “This makes it possible to test and
optimize tactical concepts at an early stage, even before real
systems are deployed. The knowledge gained in this way
flows directly into the development of new maritime defense
technologies,” continues Dzaack.
The GhostPlay@SEA consortium includes major players
from science and industry, the Helmut Schmidt University /
University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg,
HENSOLDT, 21Strategies, Rheinmetall and Borchert
Consulting & Research AG. The project underlines the
innovative strength of the German defense industry in the age
of digitalization. As a pioneer of such a digital combat training
ground, GhostPlay@SEA paves the way for a new era of
maritime defense technology and strengthens the future
operational capability of the navy through artificial tactical
excellence.

© TKMS