Pure research for practical applications
Working with industry and academic experts, our scientists and engineers research and develop both long-term scientific understanding to inform future direction, and short-term focus to meet today’s challenges.
Our capability to lead and orchestrate broad supply bases to deliver world-class research is demonstrated by:
- Leading the innovative Weapons Technology Centre (WTC) to bring the entire UK Complex Weapons stakeholder community into an holistic planning process that covers research themes through to product development
- Leading the 23 member Enabling Secure Information Infrastructure (ESII) research consortium to deliver research that balances innovation with pragmatism – it’s currently leveraging commercial 3G mobile telephony to deliver affordable broadband communications to the warfighter in the field
- Leading the Haldane-Spearman Consortium to meet the needs of the UK MOD’s ‘Preparing People for Operations’ programme – outputs to date include optimising the preparation of personnel required to operate in temperatures of at least 32°C, an anthropometric database to assist in clothing and equipment procurement, and identification of the factors that influence personnel to remain in the Armed Forces
Other recent R&D collaborations include:
- The concept for Zephyr, our High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) platform, was developed under company funding, but the demonstrator was made possible with research funding from the MOD and other sources
- Our MTDS capability concept demonstrator was the most comprehensive training research programme undertaken by the MOD in recent years
- The MOD Aircrew Protection research programme has improved operational performance
- In the field of MOD information security, research has been instrumental in developing a balanced approach to interconnection and risk awareness