The Ministry of Defence has gone to the market for a portable air raid warning siren system to supplement the existing sirens at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, in a tender worth an estimated £800,000 over five years, the department has said.
According to the tender notice, published on 11 June, there is a need to supplement the air raid warning sirens currently in place at the base, with the requirement being for sirens able to cover the distance of both RAF Akrotiri and the neighbouring Akrotiri village for community warning. The system must deliver distinct alert tones, distinguishing between an air raid or imminent threat and an all-clear, and provide both live and recorded voice announcement functionality.
Crucially, the Ministry of Defence specifies that the system must be portable and operate independently of any fixed infrastructure, a requirement pointing towards a deployable capability that can be moved or stood up at short notice rather than a permanent installation wired into the base. The five-year contract covers supply, commissioning, documentation, training, warranty and through-life support, and the department has flagged the procurement as particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.
RAF Akrotiri, on the southern coast of Cyprus, is one of the United Kingdom’s most strategically important overseas bases, sitting within the Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri and serving as the principal hub for British air operations across the Middle East.
The base has been the launch and staging point for RAF missions over Iraq, Syria and the wider region for years, and has taken on heightened significance through the recent conflict involving Iran, during which the eastern Mediterranean has been within reach of longer-range missiles and drones.
MOD obviously need Treasury oversight.
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I’m pretty sure it could be done for a hell of a lot less than that!
You’re not taking into account the number of meetings, liason groups and tendering procedures that will have to take place over the next five years before the order is finally placed….after changes.
Screwfix do gas powered site warning horns – £15.99
I just do not understand how we get such high prices? For a few sirens?
Those consultations and consultants won’t pay for themselves you know!
Maybe “sirens” are code word for Land Cepter batteries . . . probably not though :/
This about sums up the implementation of the strategic defense review
I don’t want to complain a lot but I genuinely don’t understand how these sirens are so expensive.
Yes they will obviously need to be reliable but I can’t think of many designs of sirens that aren’t inherently reliable anyway. Three different sounds doesn’t add much to the price once you’ve got it capable of making a noise anyway.
Also what does making them mobile actually achieve? Genuine question for that one.
And why only Akrotiri, sirens should be everywhere
WWII style frame mounted wind up air raid sirens are @£200 a pop.
This tender would provide 4,000 – enough for every serviceman on Cyprus and every base civilian to be issued with their own personal one.
This is why the MOD is broke – everything is not only gold plated, but diamond encrusted and platinum tipped.
Are the number of sirens related to the number of drones expected to penetrate the bases!