UK MoD awards Roke £6.7 million contract under Land ISTAR programme
Paul MacGregor, Roke managing director (L) and the MoD's Brig John Collyer. (Photo: Roke)
Roke’s ZODIAC will act as the central nervous system for Land ISTAR. The award marks the start of an Alpha development phase to derisk delivery of the programme.
The UK MoD has awarded UK company Roke a £6.7 million ($9.3 million) contract for the supply of the ZODIAC system. It marks the start of an Alpha development phase to derisk delivery of the army’s Land ISTAR programme.
Land ISTAR will deliver an integrated and distributed system of sensors, applications and underlying system architecture that will enable the army to operate with greater precision and speed. ZODIAC will act as the 'central nervous system' for the programme.
According to Roke, it provides the systems required to ingest data from all battlefield sensors and from combined, joint, inter-agency, intra-governmental and multinational intelligence feeds.
‘It will need to fuse, analyse and distribute the resulting intelligence to battlefield users, integrating across land, sea, air, space and cyber and with allies', the document pointed out.
During the Alpha phase of ZODIAC, Roke will be responsible for capturing requirements, initial design, solution architecture, risk reduction and market assessment for further development.
More from Land Warfare
-
![Leopard MBT: Alpha beast gets a reboot (updated 2025)]()
Leopard MBT: Alpha beast gets a reboot (updated 2025)
Leopard MBTs are German-made main battle tanks that have been in service since the Cold War and have undergone several upgrades to remain competitive in modern warfare. This article traces the history and development of the Leopard 1 and 2, its variants, its operational service and its future prospects.
-
![Vietnam orders self-propelled howitzers from South Korea]()
Vietnam orders self-propelled howitzers from South Korea
Vietnam turns to Hanwha Aerospace as it looks to reduce reliance on Russian military systems.
-
![World Defense Show 2026 to unite global and local innovation]()
World Defense Show 2026 to unite global and local innovation
Saudi Arabia’s showpiece event for the defence industry will return in 2026 as it attempts to foster global defence collaboration, promote opportunity within the Kingdom and demonstrate technological innovation from across the Middle East.
-
![Canadian Army to progress with ACSV programme in 2025]()
Canadian Army to progress with ACSV programme in 2025
The Armoured Combat Support Vehicle will also achieve several milestones in the coming years.
-
![UK commits $2 billion to Ukraine for missiles as Europe speaks up]()
UK commits $2 billion to Ukraine for missiles as Europe speaks up
The contract builds on a previous contract with Thales which was signed in September 2024 for 650 missiles. Deliveries of these began in late 2024 and the new contract ensures continued supply.
-
![Sweden orders $131 million worth of trucks for armed forces]()
Sweden orders $131 million worth of trucks for armed forces
The deal with Volvo and Scania includes 300 4×4 truck and 300 6×6 trucks, with both orders including options for a further 200 vehicles.
