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Popular Science wrote:In February, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) in Great Britain unveiled its plans for modernizing its military. Curiously similar to the US Army's recently killed Future Combat System, the British program looks to bring a new generation of unmanned vehicles, advanced sensors and energy weapons to the battlefield.

However, unlike its American counterpart, it looks like this project is a go.

The MOD has opened bidding for the chance to produce one of the centerpiece projects of their modernization program, the Novel Air Concept. The Novel Air Concept is a proposed UAV that can transition between plane-like forward flight and helicopter-like hovering, utilize energy weapons, and work in an urban environment. Additionally, the MOD wants a flying prototype ready for testing by 2012, with an operational model ready by 2015.

The costs of the project remain classified, but UK Defense companies BAE Systems, MBDA, and Cranfield Aerospace have already submitted proposals.

The US has recently tried to shift its acquisitions away from Cold War-era projects designed to fight the Soviet Army, and towards technology useful in the current conflicts, and the emphasis on the urban applications of this UAV indicate the British have made a similar change. Hopefully, if this UAV gets operational sooner rather than later, they'll let us borrow a few of them.

TheRegister.co.uk wrote:Aerospace firms are competing for a "classified" UK MoD contract to build a robotic military stealth aircraft which would be able to hover like a helicopter or fold its rotors and fly as an aeroplane. The "novel air concept" would be able to operate "within urban canyons" and deploy radical new weapons such as microwave or laser rayguns.

News of the commercial bids comes from Aviation Week & Space Technology, which names UK-headquartered arms globocorp BAE Systems, Euro missile alliance MBDA (partly owned by BAE) and British uni spinout Cranfield Aerospace as competitors to build the Novel Air Concept prototype.

The MoD's Defence Science organisation had already released some details on the Concept. Specifically, the military boffins would like to see:

A more cost-effective means of achieving the effects currently provided by manned aircraft and cruise missiles by using new concepts in unmanned air vehicles (UAVs)/unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs). The specific effects under consideration are the delivery of novel payloads over remote hostile territory and, specifically, within the urban environment.

This is seen as being delivered as "a flying demonstrator within 3 years" (that is by 2012), which is to have the following abilities:

A reusable uninhabited air system with a radius of action of 1000km and able to survive defended air space. Capable of being launched and recovered from land, sea and air with the emphasis on ship based operations. The vehicle is to be able to operate within the urban canyons inherent in the major city landscape.

The MoD's graphic seems to indicate a sort of mini stealth jet able to deploy rotors from its nose and hang vertically from them, setting down perhaps on its back end like the "tail-sitter" VTOL prototypes of yesteryear. The concept of large rotors, rather than a small propellor or even narrower jetpipe, makes sense in the context of the "urban canyon" requirement. A large heli-style vertical-thrust disc is required for an aircraft which is going to hover for any length of time without burning up all its fuel and probably melting its engines to boot.

As to the "novel payloads", again the graphic offers a clue. The mysterious green cabinets between the conventional missiles have something of the look of phased-array antennae, perhaps capable of emitting focused, directable beams of microwaves - most probably for "soft" electronic-warfare purposes, but conceivably as active weapons able to permanently fry enemy circuitry.

It's all very shiny, but you have to wonder just what urban areas in "defended air space" the MoD has in mind for its stealthy robot jet/chopper to penetrate. And you definitely have to wonder whether it would really be more cost-effective than comparatively simple one-shot cruise missiles, whose price is now falling through the few-hundred-k$ range: and which on their own can eliminate most air-defence networks possessed by non-nuclear powers.

There's a definite air of seed-money about this, rather than of something that will actually be much use. We'll be hoping that Cranfield gets the pork in this case - BAE and MBDA have already had more than their share.

We asked for comment from the MoD - after all, they weren't shy about unveiling the concept to begin with - but hadn't heard back as of publication. If we hear any more we'll let you know.

UK Ministry of Defense wrote:Gadgets and gizmos that could equip the British troops of the future helped launch the MOD's new Defence Technology Plan, yesterday, Thursday 26 February 2009.

The Defence Technology Plan sets out objectives addressing the MOD's research needs across its future military systems. Its launch yesterday marks the first time the MOD has unveiled its long-term research plans, and underlines the importance of science and technology in providing cutting-edge kit for the battlefield.

Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said:

"Innovation is at the heart of our success on the battlefield and by launching the Defence Technology Plan we are looking to embrace and encourage novel, cutting-edge ideas to provide our future forces with the latest technological advances so they can stay one step ahead of the enemy.
"It is more vital than ever that we exploit new and emerging technologies because the threats our troops face are always evolving. To do this, we need to make the best use of the Defence industrial base, as well as the wealth of ability and expertise found among small businesses, talented individuals and academia."

Underlining MOD's commitment to science and innovation, the Minister announced nearly £2m of funding to the following research contracts:

• Portsmouth-based company Mindsheet was awarded £28,000 for a month-long project to make their Unmanned Ground Vehicle robot, Testudo, more rugged and user-friendly

• Team Stellar (who won the MOD's Grand Challenge) has been awarded a £1.3m contract to take their integrated Saturn system to the next level of capability

• London-based Swarm Systems has been awarded a £115,000 contract to develop their idea of a co-operative swarm of micro-UAVs
• Blue Design Ltd, from Hove, has been awarded £96,000 to develop its D3O shock absorbing material for troops' helmet lining.

• Teledyne Defence Limited, based in Shipley, West Yorkshire, has been awarded £246,000 to research ways to help pilots operate in dust clouds caused by rotor blade downdraft.

Also on show at yesterday's launch in MOD's Main Building in London was the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory's (DSTL) Portable Integrated Battlespace Bio Detection Unit, which is capable of detecting the full biological warfare threat spectrum from a unit the size of a suitcase.

Science and Technology Director, Paul Stein, said:

"The Defence Technology Plan is the first time we have publicised most of our key our long-term defence challenges, where the development of new technology could lead to significant benefits for future combat forces.

"The evolving, web-based plan sets out to encourage fresh thinking and engagement with new and existing defence technology suppliers."

The Defence Technology Plan has been published on www.science.mod.uk and is accessible to all. As well as setting out objectives addressing the MOD's research needs the plan also introduces five Capability Visions designed to stimulate new technologies and new uses of existing ones.



They are:

• Reducing the burden on the dismounted soldier – challenging industry to lighten the load on a soldier to 25kg while maintaining and improving personal protection levels

• Future Protected Vehicle – lightweight vehicles to achieve the effectiveness and survivability of a main battle tank. (See Related Links >>> to watch a computer animation of the Future Protected Vehicles in action in a simulated battle scenario.)

• Reducing operational dependency on fossil fuels – finding options for alternative sources of energy supply, management and use in future operations

• Novel Air Concept – a cost effective, reusable uninhabited air system that operates within the urban landscape

• Electronics Defeat – understanding the threats of and to sophisticated electronic systems and information technology and how they can be protected against.



MOD will acquire solutions to the Department's research needs through a variety of procurement mechanisms. Proposals can be submitted to the MOD through the www.science.mod.uk website. The ideas will then be assessed by the Centre for Defence Enterprise.

Dr Helen Almey, Head of the Centre for Defence Enterprise, said:

"Our task is to anticipate, prepare for and meet the forthcoming challenges by being highly innovative, agile and flexible in our approach to defence science and technology.

"We can only do this by actively seeking novel and exciting ideas and contributions from across industry, academia and other enterprises."

The launch also marked the publication of the MOD's Innovation Procurement Plan, part of a pan-Government initiative to encourage and promote innovation.