DASA awards Map the Gap Phase 1 contracts
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) in the UK has awarded contracts worth a total of £1.3 million ($1.7 million), for Phase 1 in the Map the Gap programme to develop semi-autonomous reconnaissance and survey systems.
Map the Gap is run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). It sought ideas from industry and academia to create a new remote system capable of surveying potential water crossing sites.
Five SMEs obtained funding to fast-track their solutions and test them with the British Army.
Scytronix (£251,900) proposes a drone-mountable crossing assessment system that uses novel low-frequency electromagnetic scanning techniques.
Wight Ocean (£309,282) is developing an amphibious bottom crawler to navigate and transit water crossing to gather near real-time data for analysis.
Nordic Unmanned (£272,656) will demonstrate UAS sensors and data exploitation, plus a semi-autonomous capability for engineer reconnaissance.
Digital Concepts Engineering (£331,133) is developing a teamed UGV/UAV solution with a variety of sensors to gather, aggregate and present data.
Foundry Cube (£177,789) is working with Ultrabeam Hydrographic to demonstrate a pedalo-style autonomous and amphibious hydrographic survey vehicle, using sonar, lidar and other techniques such as laser light and measuring reflection.
Col Simon Bradley, Assistant Head Manoeuvre Support, Ground Manoeuvre Capability British Army, said: ‘Replacing and/or augmenting manned reconnaissance with a remote, beyond line-of-sight system will not only reduce the threat to life; it will also offer the ability to survey multiple crossing sites in a far more timely and efficient manner.’
Map the Gap Phase 2 is expected to include an additional £2.5 million in funding.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems]()
AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems
Taurus operates alongside the Israel Defense Forces’ Orion system which supports mission management across tens of thousands of manoeuvring forces, from squad leaders to battalion commanders.
-
![AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster]()
AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster
The plan for the new displays follows fresh investment in Kopin’s European facilities by Theon and an order for head-up displays in fielded aircraft, with funding from the US Department of Defense.
-
![AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end]()
AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end
Persistent Systems received its largest ever single order for its MPU5 devices and other systems earlier this month and has already delivered the 50 units to the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
-
![Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella]()
Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella
Turkey has joined the family of countries attempting to establish a multilayered air defence system with government approval in August 2024 for the effort landed by Aselsan. Dubbed Steel Dome, the programme joins Israel’s Iron Dome, the US Golden Dome, India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra and South Korea’s low-altitude missile defence system.
-
![DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system]()
DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system
MARSS’ NiDAR system has been deployed using sensors from static platforms to provide detection and protection for static sights, such as critical infrastructure, ports and military bases.
-
![Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training]()
Australia looks towards space with force restructure, investment and training
Australia is looking to improve its presence in space with a focus on communications and creating a dedicated segment of its defence forces committed to the domain.
