Program managers provided updates about the status of some of Europe's leading ISS programs including FIST, FELIN, NORMANS, the Israeli Advanced Infantry System (IAS), Canada's Integrated Soldier System Program (ISSP), and South Africa's African Warrior project. The common denominator of all presentations, was the need to address the human factor and design the systems as a modular and open framework capable of continuous improvement and growth and dealing with various levels of technological maturation levels.

The idea is to field only those applications and services, defined by the soldiers as essential and critical for their missions requirements. Systems should be modular, tailored to fit the human body as comfortably as possible, at the lowest possible weight. All speakers agreed that reducing the warfighter's weight-load, below 30 kg is theoretical. Yet they addressed different weight limits – from 25 kg, as the goal for the US and French systems to 45 kg, which were the 'de facto' goal for the African Warrior set. At present, British forces in Afhghanistan are carrying typical combat loads of 52 kg.

But overweight is not the only problem: ergonomic, load balance are also negatively affected from the 'Christmas trees' style soldier gear. Systems designers agree, that designers must regard the soldier as a 'platform', addressing human factors as early in the program as possible, eliminating load duplications, and solving conflicts between protection, weapons, load bearing vests and C4I systems to provide reasonable comfort, freedom of movement and load balance.

Portable power is definately the biggest issue for dismounted operations, particulerly since the weight of batteries required for extended missions is becoming a significant element in the combat load carried by the troops. Some of the speakers at the conference provided few guidelines for power systems developers, particularly as related to more compact batteries, fuel cells and smart chargers and alternative power sources which could alleviate some of the logistical load from the warfighter.

The following report of Eurosatory 2008 focus covers the following topics