Published at 17:06, Wednesday, 21 November 2012

A MULTI-MILLION research contract has been awarded to BAE Systems.

By Will Metcalfe

The £32m contract will see teams from BAE’s submarine and shipbuilding divisions work together in the new Maritime Collaborative Enterprise.

The project will bring together specialists in combat systems from BAE’s Naval Ships and Submarines divisions, including BAE’s Barrow shipyard, to gather and process information about the environment to aid battlespace command and control – both above and below water.

BAE Systems will create and manage the scheme to deliver a research programme under the management of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, part of the MOD.

It is hoped the project will include new collaborators, including those without a background in defence, in order to stimulate fresh thinking and innovation.

Defence minister Philip Dunne said: “Encouraging technological innovation to flourish is vital to our national security and our prosperity. The contract is designed to maximise the reach of our science and technology funding, led by a team from BAE Systems, with numerous participants in the research, from large companies, to academia, to small and medium enterprises.”

A key feature of the BAE Systems approach is understanding how to turn paper concepts into reality by applying them directly to submarine and surface ship platforms.

The Maritime team has a long track record of working closely with technology companies and academia to deliver capabilities to UK Armed Forces.

BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines Combat Systems director Ian Hawkes said: “This is a great opportunity for innovators to get involved, bringing their ideas and expertise to the maritime domain.

“The Collaborative Enterprise is a good basis for productive working relationships between diverse organisations.”

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