Recent conflicts, especially the war in Ukraine, have once again placed Artillery at the center of discussions on modern land combat. Experience on the battlefield has shown that, more than range and volume of fire, operational effectiveness has come to depend on the ability to integrate sensors, command systems, and firing platforms in virtually real time. Reducing the interval between the identification of a target and its neutralization has become a decisive factor, driving a transformation that has been progressively incorporated by various armed forces, including the Brazilian Army.
In this modernization scenario, the development of the Digitalized Field Artillery System (SISDAC) stands out, a solution that represents a qualitative leap in the way fire support is planned, coordinated, and executed. Developed with significant participation from the national Defense Industrial Base, the system integrates navigation, communications, fire direction, and data sharing into a single digital environment, expanding situational awareness and enabling greater precision and agility in operational decisions.
The path that resulted in SISDAC did not arise suddenly. It is the result of an evolutionary process initiated at the end of the last century, with the development of the Genesis System by the Brazilian War Material Industry (IMBEL). At the time, Genesis represented an innovation by introducing the automation of ballistic calculations and fire planning, reducing dependence on manual processes and allowing the Land Force to accumulate fundamental experience for the construction of more advanced digital solutions.
This process of technological transformation gained new momentum with the modernization of the M109 self-propelled howitzers to the M109 A5+BR standard. The incorporation of modern navigation, communications, and targeting systems raised the technological level of Brazilian Artillery, but also highlighted the need for a digital architecture capable of integrating these capabilities in a coordinated manner. SISDAC emerges precisely to fill this gap, reducing the decision cycle and increasing the efficiency of fire support in increasingly dynamic operational scenarios.
The implementation of the system will have a direct impact on strategic units of the Brazilian Army, such as the 3rd Self-Propelled Field Artillery Group (3rd GAC AP), the traditional Mallet Regiment, part of the 6th Armored Infantry Brigade. Based in Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul, the Niederauer Brigade is considered one of the main major units of the Land Force, bringing together maneuver troops, air defense, fire support, engineers, and logistical elements, historically standing out in the incorporation of new operational capabilities.
Information obtained from the Command of the 6th Armored Infantry Brigade, led by Brigadier General André Luiz de Souza Dias, indicates that the implementation of SISDAC represents a significant advance in the modernization process of national Artillery. The digitalization of fire direction and coordination systems tends to expand interoperability levels, increase engagement precision, and reduce the response time of units subordinate to the Brigade—essential characteristics in today’s high-intensity combat environments.
Beyond operational gains, SISDAC holds strong strategic relevance by strengthening Brazilian technological autonomy in one of the most sensitive segments of the defense sector. Command and control and fire coordination systems are rarely fully transferred by foreign suppliers, which makes national development a determining factor for the preservation of critical knowledge, adaptation to specific doctrinal needs, and the strengthening of the Defense Industrial Base.
The consolidation of SISDAC, whose implementation is expected to advance progressively in the coming years, follows a global trend in which information, system integration, and speed of decision-making come to play a role as relevant as the destructive power of weaponry. In this context, the modernization of Brazilian Artillery highlights the country’s effort to keep its forces prepared for the challenges of the contemporary operational environment, combining tradition, technological innovation, and long-term strategic vision.
You may also like: While still defining its replacement, the Brazilian Army moves forward with the revitalization of its Leopard 1A5 tanks
