Advanced defence technology creates no effect until someone can actually use it. Aleido builds the support systems behind the technology, the information, training and maintenance that determine whether a system can be translated into operational effect. Sweden country manager Gustav Tempelman argues that this half of the capability has long been deprioritised, but that the defence sector is now beginning to recognise that it is just as crucial as the technology itself.
Aleido makes technical information and data usable throughout a product's entire life cycle. The company is fundamentally industry agnostic, but has a clear niche: the support system. In the defence sector this is known as ILS, Integrated Logistics Support. Aleido has several Swedish defence customers and sees growing demand.
Tempelman's reasoning starts from a simple observation: the technology, however advanced, is sooner or later used by a human being who must generate an effect from it. Whether it is a matter of launching a countermeasure against a drone, interpreting the information in a command and control system, or repairing a CV90, someone has to know what needs to be done.
"We work to be just as innovative in the support system as those developing the core technology are in theirs," says Gustav Tempelman.
According to Tempelman, this area has often been overlooked. The core business of the companies that build the systems is product and systems development; that is what is sold, while the actual use has been seen as the buyer's responsibility. The support system, he argues, has not been prioritised, has not been seen as value creating, and has had a low degree of innovation, while other industries, not least the automotive industry, are far ahead.
"Few have realised what effect it actually creates," he says. "Traditionally it has been masses of binders sent out that people are supposed to stand and leaf through."
Now the picture has started to shift. When Tempelman speaks directly with armed forces, operational effect is the top priority. He points to two forces driving the development. One is that many of the users are new and need more training, on a completely different scale than before. The other is a major technology shift, with rapid digitalisation and many new systems on digital platforms.
"Those who succeed in shooting down attack drones are the ones who have trained," he says, referring to experiences from Ukraine. "Training in actually using the systems becomes decisive."
Europe's armed forces have opened the door and are listening more, he argues, which creates new openings to demonstrate the value other industries created five or ten years ago already. At the same time, there is an inherent tension. Complex systems must be procured under strict rules, with clear requirements to ensure they can be sustained over a long period.
"Sometimes you end up following the regulatory framework rather than creating as much user friendliness as possible, and the two can work somewhat against each other," says Gustav Tempelman.
One of his main points is that innovative capacity at the front is a capability in itself. When a system is updated, training, spare parts and instructions for how it is used must keep pace. Today, information largely flows in one direction: from the supplier to the procuring authority, onward to the armed forces, and then it may take a year until the next update.
"Here you need a much higher update frequency, and that means the technical system and the support system need to be tied together," he says.
Not everything requires advanced technology. The range is broad, from animations built on design documentation to more advanced AI features, but a great deal of value can be created with simple means.
"There is low-hanging fruit," says Tempelman. "In Ukraine they record and dub films and send them out to the front. That is a way of conveying how a system should be used, without requiring either AI or advanced cloud solutions."
To illustrate this, Aleido has built a demonstrator aimed at the defence industry and government authorities, intended to show how operational effect can be increased. Many soldiers in the Swedish Armed Forces, not least in the reserve and the Home Guard, serve only a few weeks a year. That time is too valuable to spend on things that could just as easily be rehearsed at home. That is why they can log into a portal and prepare in advance. The portal has three parts: certificates and authorisations, training to prepare, and user-friendly maintenance information that works equally well on a phone as on the web. A company commander can at the same time see what proportion of personnel have completed their modules and direct reminders to where they are needed.
"It's about getting the greatest possible effect out of those days in the field, and about being able to take on more complex technology," he says.
Behind the user-friendly surface lies an information database, structured by product, configuration and authorisation level, which makes the right information available to the right person. Aleido's role, Tempelman emphasises, is not to make the decisions but to make the underlying data accessible. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) sets the requirements and calculates spare parts and stock levels, the user owns the life cycle decisions, and Aleido ensures the information is available where it is needed.
Looking ahead, Tempelman envisions more data-driven maintenance. Connected sensors can feed back data on the condition of the systems, feedback that can become decision support or even automatically suggest and order a spare part. AR glasses and simple, guided apps belong to the same development.
"As long as there is a human being out there, something will be needed to provide support," he says. "The more data you have, the better you can build these systems, which means the platforms can spend more of their time up in the air, on the move on land, or at sea."
There is still some way to go. The dream scenario, he says, is to get all parties around the same table: those developing the technology, those responsible for the support system, the buyer, and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in between.
"We're not quite there yet, but the door has opened," says Gustav Tempelman.