Urban warfare is conducted in populated urban areas such as towns and cities. The U.S. military term is MOUT, or (Military Operations on Urban Terrain) and the British military term is FIBUA (Fighting in Built-Up Areas). The military is trying to adapt to this unconventional warfare as it sees itself engaging more and more in this type of theater of war.

In fact, the trend has already begun. US military operations over the past decade such as Khafji, Kuwait City, Monrovia, Mogadishu, Port-au-prince and Baghdad, as well as cities in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo indicate the frequency with which US forces operate in urban areas. US experience in these operations and that of other military forces shows that urban areas offer significant operational challenges across the range of military operations and the lack of situational awareness particularly for combat troops.

Warfare inside a city is very different from a traditional open-field battle against a conventional army. The military operations are complicated by limited fields of view and fire because of buildings, large amounts of concealment and cover for defenders and the ease of placement of booby traps and snipers. This brought a new force into military tactics.

Further, the great complexity of the urban environment requires military forces to pay particular attention to the unique and demanding requirements of operations in those areas. It is therefore imperative that commanders and staffs understand those requirements and consider them in the planning and conduct of operations in the urban environment.

In partnership with our defense electronics contractors, Alcyone Systems' 3D Locator™ system improves inter-networking of task forces and units operating throughout the theater of operation, enable flexible formation of combined task forces and improve the coordination and situational awareness at all levels of operations. The system can integrate to existing systems, including the strategic command, and battle management systems, currently available below the brigade level.