“Iearnability” of intelligent weapon systems: a transition logic from robust autonomy to cognitive evolution

The intelligent equipment system serves as the physical carrier for the transformation of operational forms toward cognitive adaptation. To maintain functional continuity within highly uncertain and strongly adversarial battlefield environments, the system must possess an endogenous "learnability". Learnability as the ontological capability of an intelligent equipment system was defined to cope with uncertainty and sustain functional continuity, constructing a three-layer theoretical framework that integrates ontology, operational mechanisms, and implementation paths. Firstly, the intrinsic logic of learnability becoming a rigid requirement for system survival was demonstrated in three dimensions, such as historical inevitability, technological reshaping, and complexity criticality. Secondly, the connotations of learnability at three hierarchical levels were analyzed, such as the intelligent node level established "robust autonomy" as the existence baseline, the intelligent system level achieved "emergent collaboration" as structural gain, and the intelligent system-of-systems level realized "cognitive evolution" for rule dominance. Furthermore, corresponding three-layer structured implementation paths were proposed, elaborating on the coupling mechanisms and closed-loop feedback mechanisms ranging from individual representation deduction and system structure self-organization to system-of-systems rule evolution. This framework aims to provide a systematic theoretical framework for the top-level design, effectiveness evaluation, and capability generation of intelligent equipment systems, offering theoretical exploration for understanding and constructing the "cognitive life forms" of the future battlefield.