Last week, the UK’s 4 Military Intelligence Battalion, part of the 3rd (UK) Division, organized a field training exercise focused on assembling a full Battalion Headquarters (HQ) built around four ARZ 350 inflatable tents. This configuration follows rigorous military standards and reflects real-world operational requirements in modern combat environments.
The system was deployed as a fully integrated shelter solution designed to support command and control (C2) functions in the field. The footprint included a dedicated entrance module, connecting modules to link the tents together (and to vehicles when necessary), RIS inner liners for superior thermal and acoustic performance, separation walls to divide functional spaces, and modular flooring installed across the entire setup.
Each tent was assigned a clearly defined operational role – entrance and access control, planning, briefing, and operations/execution, creating a cohesive, mission-ready tactical operations center (TOC). Together, these four modules facilitate scalable and rapidly deployable, disaggregated C2 nodes. They offer the ability to seamlessly regroup and provide a fully functional Battalion HQ or Commando HQ in a traditional forward command post layout, enabling military teams to plan, coordinate, and execute the full spectrum of military operations efficiently.
A key advantage of these specific ARZ military tents lies in their modularity. All tents can be linked in multiple configurations, both to each other and directly to tactical vehicles, allowing units to adapt quickly to changing mission requirements. This flexibility drastically reduces setup and strike times, easing logistical burden and improving unit mobility. The ARZ families of tents can be inflated or packed up in less than 10 minutes in order to displace the command post to avoid threats.
Military shelter systems should make hard jobs easier, not add to the complexity.
On the second day of the exercise, we had the pleasure of working alongside Saab UK, whose team joined us on-site to deploy their lightweight camouflage net system, the Barracuda ULCAS, over the assembled setup. Seeing our ARZ tents paired with Saab’s multi-spectral signature management solution was a practical demonstration of how two complementary capabilities can come together to enhance the survivability of command posts in the field.
The collaboration came together seamlessly, and we’re incredibly grateful to the Saab UK team for the constructive, hands-on spirit they brought to the exercise.
The feedback we received during the training sessions was highly rewarding, with operators repeatedly telling us, “We need more of these,” throughout the two-day event.
We are proud to support the UK Army’s operational infrastructure and extend a big thank you to the 3rd (UK) Division for having us out.
