Real-Time Vehicle Asset Tracking for Military Fleets

A military fleet can include everything from armoured personnel carriers and main battle tanks to specialist engineering vehicles, reconnaissance platforms, and tactical transport trucks. Managing this variety across multiple bases, depots, and secure facilities is a complex task.

Ubisense SmartSpace® vehicle asset tracking provides the high-accuracy, site-based visibility that GPS alone can’t deliver. By combining ultra-wideband (UWB) technology with process-aware location intelligence, SmartSpace tracks each vehicle’s exact position, operational status, and maintenance stage in real time — both indoors and outdoors.

With SmartSpace, defence organisations can:

  • Pinpoint vehicles to exact bays or zones within maintenance depots, storage hangars, or secure yards

  • Automate status updates as vehicles move between operational stages or complete inspections

  • Trigger instant alerts if vehicles leave authorised areas

  • Record chain-of-custody for every handover, with time-stamped personnel records

  • Integrate readiness data directly into operational planning systems for faster decision-making

This SmartSpace capability means commanders and operations teams can instantly answer critical readiness questions: Where is each vehicle right now? What’s its status? Who last handled it? When will it be ready for deployment?

Fleet Management Systems vs GPS Vehicle Tracking in Defence

A commercial fleet management system often focuses on route optimisation, fuel efficiency, and driver behaviour. These features can be useful in the military, but they are not enough on their own.

Military GPS vehicle tracking must go further by incorporating:

  • Security protocols to protect sensitive movement data

  • Lifecycle tracking from active deployment through to decommissioning

  • Process enforcement during maintenance, inspections, and handovers

  • Multi-technology location tracking for secure indoor and outdoor environments

By combining GPS with high-accuracy UWB and other sensors, SmartSpace® delivers the precision and security that military fleets require. This approach ensures that tracking continues seamlessly inside maintenance depots, vehicle storage hangars, or underground facilities — places where GPS alone cannot reach.

As the Department of Defense notes in its latest Enterprise Asset Visibility strategy, “Asset visibility provides supply chain managers and users with timely and accurate information on the location, movement, status, and identity of units…” acq.osd.mil

SmartSpace does exactly that—delivering high-precision visibility and accountability for every armed vehicle across depots, hangars, and handover points.

Location Tracking in Military Maintenance Depots

In secure military maintenance depots, every movement of a vehicle must be tracked to maintain operational efficiency and security. A location tracking system using UWB can pinpoint vehicles to within a few centimetres, making it possible to:

  • Identify exactly where each vehicle is within the facility

  • Track progress through repair, inspection, and reassembly

  • Coordinate movement between work bays without bottlenecks

  • Ensure vehicles are staged and ready for redeployment on schedule

This precise visibility eliminates wasted search time, improves scheduling, and reduces delays in returning vehicles to active duty.

Process Tracking for Vehicle Readiness

A process tracking system ensures that every required step in vehicle maintenance and readiness is completed in the correct sequence. For armed vehicles, these processes may include:

  • Armour and weapons system checks

  • Secure communications verification

  • Powertrain and mobility testing

  • Ammunition safety protocols

SmartSpace® enforces these workflows digitally, recording time-stamped proof of each step. This prevents incomplete handovers and strengthens compliance with military regulations.

Why Military Fleet Lifecycle Management Matters

Without a dedicated lifecycle tracking system, military fleets risk:

  • Reduced operational readiness due to untracked maintenance delays

  • Security vulnerabilities from uncontrolled vehicle movement

  • Compliance failures in safety inspections or operational protocols

  • Higher operational costs due to inefficient fleet utilisation

By deploying a vehicle tracking system designed for military use, defence organisations gain the visibility, control, and accountability needed to operate efficiently and securely.

For a deeper look at how SmartSpace technology supports secure yard and depot operations, see our SmartSpace Yard solution.

 

Ensure every vehicle in your fleet is ready, secure, and traceable.

Contact Ubisense to discuss your operational requirements.