The WSRF vision is to:
Deliver in a timely manner battle-winning technology solutions for Weapons that are beneficial to MOD and Industry
The WSRF mission is:
The WSRF will provide a vehicle for complex, general and directed energy weapons R&T planning and delivery, satisfying the needs of both MOD and UK industry by providing a cohesive R&T plan that connects MOD and Industry funding to inform the decision making process. The construct will support sustainment of weapons critical skills, expertise and advice, and ensure a seamless exploitation of innovative ideas through to the fielded systems of the future so ‘bridging the valley of death’.
Weapons Sector Research Framework (WSRF)
The WSRF has been established through Dstl to build upon the research conducted through the Weapons Science and Technology Centre (WSTC). The WSRF will now also explore novel weapons and effects, such as lasers and radio frequencies, alongside the more established architectures, seekers, guidance and propulsion science. The WSRF brings organisations of all sizes together to combine expertise, with around 15 per cent of work currently going to small to medium-sized enterprises and academia.
The WSRF core programme includes planning and delivery of research relating to:
- All weapon constituent components and sub-systems, both complex weapons and general munitions, where complex weapons are defined as strategic and tactical weapons that make use of guidance systems to achieve precision effects;
- Associated system elements (e.g. launcher, local sensors communications, targeting, fire control, mission Command and Control (C2) and platform integration);
- Novel weapons and effects, such as lasers and radio frequencies, alongside the more established architectures, seekers, guidance and propulsion science;
- Weapon system architectures;
- Weapon platform integration;
- Activities to support the overall objectives of future weapon procurement initiatives, such as driving down the cost of weapons and reducing time to service for equipment;
- Weapons domain modelling and simulation;
- Applications of cross-cutting technologies specific to weapons;
- Energetic materials
WSRF Partners
The WSRF is not a consortium but contains a group of companies, known as the WSRF partners, linked by signature to Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).