QinetiQ wins UV C2 contract
QinetiQ has been awarded a contract by the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to deliver a command and control demonstration system for the co-ordination of multiple unmanned vehicles, the company announced on 19 November.
The contract is valued at £4.2 million. BAE Systems, Thales and Seebyte are also involved in the work, lead by QinetiQ.
Under the contract, the company will develop a transportable solution capable of integrating unmanned systems from multiple suppliers. The aim of the contract is to minimise the number of screens and controls required to conduct missions, to improve efficiency and reduce the risk of human error.
The deployment of the system is planned during the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior showcase in October 2016, where the system will support a series of demonstrations, including a comparison of mine countermeasures carried out by manned and unmanned craft.
Philip Smith, ship systems and integrated survivability programme manager, Dstl, said: ‘The control of multiple vehicles from different vendors and across the land, sea and air environments will be a major achievement. This project is an important component in helping to shape the navy’s exploitation of unmanned vehicles and will make significant progress in their integration into the combat system.’
Commander Peter Pipkin of the Royal Navy, said: ‘This is an important part of showing the true potential of unmanned systems. Being able to demonstrate the end-to-end flow of information to enable better decision making is key and an important enabler for our demonstrations next year.’
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
First flights of Rattler Supersonic Target prove successful
The US Department of Defense (DoD), along with QinetiQ, successfully conducted the first flights of the Rattler Supersonic Target MkI marking a significant advance in supersonic target technology.
-
Dedrone supplies CUAS systems to Ukraine and increases signal library
Dedrone has announced a strategic expansion via 16 new governmental contracts as the US-based CUAS company continued to develop its drone countermeasure technologies.
-
Baykar’s Akıncı UCAV completes live firing trials over the Black Sea
The Turkish company’s advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicle demonstrated its capabilities during successful live firing trials.
-
Iranian UAV threat leaves Israel’s defence industry searching for answers
Iran has continued to invest heavily in its drone-building capacity, supplying Russia and Iranian proxies throughout the Middle East, leading defence experts in Israel to call for more defensive solutions be developed to deter the threat from UAVs.
-
Emgepron and Tidewise team up to develop first ‘made-in-Brazil’ USV
Brazil's Emgepron and Tidewise have partnered to construct the Suppressor unmanned surface vessel by 2025 amid potential interest from the Brazilian Navy.
-
Autonomous navigation drives UUVs proliferation in the Indo-Pacific
The US Department of Defence has teamed up with Anduril Industries to develop advanced AI-driven long-range uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), countering China’s escalating UUV advancements.