Land Research Experimentation & Innovation

Our growing research, experimentation and innovation capability applies disruptive technology to solve our customers’ most difficult problems, exploiting novel areas such as autonomy, materials science and sensors.

Research and development as-a-service: We provide customers with access to our unrivalled specialist R&D expertise and associated state-of-the-art facilities.

Disruptive solutions: We co-innovate with customers to create tailored solutions, based on our portfolio of tried and tested capability.

Innovation integrator: We provide fast, flexible and efficient access to a diverse ecosystem of R&D partners.

Our key areas of capability include:

Power sources, energy storage and distribution

We lead the field in the R&D, test and evaluation (T&E) and production of electrochemical and related power technologies such as batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. Over the past decade we have supplied 100 million fully-qualified batteries to the MOD, as well as providing in-service support.

Projects include:

• Electric Drive – the design and development of a hub-drive for armoured multi-wheel and tracked vehicles. This replaces conventional diesel engines with a compact electric motor that reduces platform weight and signature, while enhancing mobility and survivability.
• Electric Battlefield – we work with partners across the military and industry to create appropriate and advanced solutions that will power the future battlefield.

Advanced materials and manufacturing

We develop innovative and cost-effective materials solutions, ranging from new applications of existing materials to the design of an entirely new process or product. Projects include:

• Smart materials – developing bespoke stealth treatments that optimise the signatures of military platforms by controlling the propagation of light, heat, sound, vibration and radio signals.
• Maintaining the UK’s materials superiority – under a Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) contract, we develop and test defence materials that will protect vehicles and troops from the next generation of threats.

Robotics and autonomous systems

Automating mission tasks that are hazardous, costly or impractical for humans to undertake increases safety and mission tempo, while reducing the burden on ground forces. Our capability includes technologies for sensing, orientation, decision making/planning and control. Projects include:

• The TITAN autonomous ground vehicle – working in partnership with Milrem, we developed a flexible, integrated land platform with enhanced autonomous capability and mobility performance.
• Autonomous Last Mile Resupply – a QinetiQ-led team was a winner in a Dstl competition in which entrants designed pioneering technology to deliver vital supplies to frontline troops. We provided an integrated, state-of-the-art system of autonomous vehicles, including TITAN, and intelligent mission planning software.