New MoD Weapons Collaborations with MBDA, Thales
Announcements concerning a group of weapons programmes were made at the Farnborough Airshow on July 15th in a collaborative venture involving the MoD and arms manufacturers, aimed at preserving the UK’s “operational sovereignty” when it comes to industry development.
The Farnborough Airshow is a biannual event showcasing the very latest in new military and civil aerospace technology.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Baroness Taylor, launched the initiative at Farnborough yesterday.
New Weapons Contracts
Contracts have been given to defence groups Thales UK and MBDA for the development of new weapons within Team CW (Team Complex Weapons), the ministry’s collaborative directive to arms purchasing, within which Roxel UK and QinetiQ also feature.
So-termed ‘Complex Weapons’ depend upon targeting systems to be able to strike with their full potential. Tactical Complex Weapons predominantly come under one of the following five groups:
- Air-to-Air
- Air-to-Surface
- Air Defence
- Surface-to-Surface
- Anti-Ship
Storm Shadow
The MBDA and Thales contracts are concerned with the development of weapons based on specifications including the creation of an up-rated version of the Storm Shadow air-to-surface missile presently fitted to Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 strike aircraft (MBDA contract).
Other specifications include the development of a Loitering Munition – one that can, effectively, hover for a period of time before striking the ground, as well as a new air-to-ground missile intended to be fired from Royal Air Force Typhoon and Tornado GR4 jets, and Army Air Corps Apache AH1 helicopter gunships.
Team CW, said Baroness Taylor, “...will help to maintain the UK's key skills and technologies in missile development and protect our operational sovereignty in this sector for the future."
British Armed Forces Requirements
Through establishing more direct ties with the defence industry, it is hoped that weapons will be developed that directly fit the British armed forces’ requirements.
MBDA Managing Director Steve Wadley – also TEAM CW’s Industrial Chairman – highlighted the virtues of this arrangement.
"The prospect of being able to better understand the MoD's capability requirements through this partnering aids both industry and government immeasurably, particularly in terms of effective and efficient future investment and planning decisions", he said.
Source – Armed Forces International’s Political Correspondent
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Further Resources:
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