A £3.8 million contract to trial an advanced base defence system has been awarded to the American company Anduril Industries through Strategic Command’s jHub.
The system uses an advanced operating system, which is assisted by AI, and a network of sensors to autonomously detect, classify, and track potential threats.
It uses a combination of sentry towers, ground sensors and drone technology to alert personnel of any intrusion on the ground or in the air and then presents options for personnel to respond. The system has the capacity to add different sensors and autonomously offers options to respond, depending on the threat.
The contract was awarded as a part of Programme TALOS, a MOD programme focused on accelerating a defence-wide approach to integrated command and control (C2). The system has been offered through a new subscription model, meaning the software and hardware will be updated with the latest technology whilst also being maintained for operational use.
This approach ensures that defence is equipped with the latest cutting-edge technology whilst also allowing the jHub to work with the company to trial and deploy new technology as it is developed. It forms part of the jHub’s work towards a Sustainable Tech Adoption Model (STAM), which is looking into different ways of working with industry to procure new capabilities.
Programme TALOS previously experimented with counter ground intrusion towers at the UK’s overseas base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, to see whether the systems could be integrated into the existing C2 network. This next step allows the UK to continue to develop advanced, multi-domain, integrated force protection technology.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, Commander of UK Strategic Command, said: “This state-of-the-art technology will give our serving men and women help by identifying and assessing external threats in nanoseconds. The artificial intelligence at the heart of this system has great potential to protect our people and sites.
“It’s another success for our innovation team at jHub, working closely with Anduril to help create a bespoke system, from idea to implementation at pace, to meet the specific requirements of our Armed Forces.”
The MOD is an official DPRTE 2021 event partner
Taking place at Farnborough International on October 5th with elements of the event streamed online, DPRTE 2021 is the UK’s leading defence procurement and supply chain event.
For all involved within buying for or supplying to the defence sector, it’s an unmissable opportunity to hear from and engage with industry leaders, influencers and stakeholders.
To register today as a delegate, follow this link.
To take advantage of exhibitor or sponsor opportunities, please click here.
With DPRTE 2021’s Booking Confidence Guarantee you can now prepare to join the UK’s defence procurement community at DPRTE 2021.
Defence Online is the official media partner for DPRTE 2021
If you would like to join our community and read more articles like this then please click here
Post written by: Matt Brown
RELATED ARTICLES
October 17, 2024
Homeland - Defence contractors compliance with SSRO under scrutiny
The latest Compliance Bulletin evaluates how effectively defence contractors are adhering to the regulations for reporting on non-competitive, or single
September 24, 2024
Homeland - UK AI start-up secures first ever software Agreement Lite with MOD
AI & robotics start-up Oxford Dynamics has secured an Enterprise Agreement Lite with the UK Ministry of Defence worth up
