Project AETHER is planning a multi-payload, long endurance flight in the 2027-28 financial year to demonstrate a broader range of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance collection from stratospheric altitudes, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, asked what progress has been made in delivering the project, following up an answer given in October last year.
Luke Pollard, the Minister of State for Defence, said: “Project AETHER capability development is progressing under the sponsorship of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command. Planning is currently ongoing for the delivery of a multi-payload, long endurance flight in financial year 2027-28. This will seek to build upon the previous trial events by demonstrating a broader range of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance collection techniques from stratospheric altitudes.”
AETHER covers uncrewed aircraft operating in the stratosphere, above conventional air traffic and below orbit, where solar powered platforms can stay aloft for weeks or months and provide persistent coverage of an area at a fraction of the cost of a satellite. Earlier trials have flown from the Hebrides range, and the Ministry of Defence has worked with several manufacturers of high altitude platforms.
Cyber and Specialist Operations Command was created under the restructuring that followed the Strategic Defence Review, bringing together cyber, electromagnetic activities, intelligence and specialist capabilities under a single command.
Cyber and Specialist Operations Command was not so much “created” after the SDR, rather it was rebranded.
Years ago it was Joint Forces Command.
Then it was Strategic Command.
Now CSOC.
Same assets, different name, and “new” so HMG can highlight something.
Some details:
The joint forces of a specialist nature already existed within it.
JFIG. Joint Forces Intelligence Group, so SIGINT and the JSSUs, Humint, Wyton, Pathfinder, and other groups.
Defence Intelligence, the overall command of the above.
JCG. Joint Forces Cyber Group, so the Joint Cyber Units, renamed themselves.
The NCF, which handles offensive Cyber and already existed.
UKSF.
Defence Medical Services, themselves rebranded.
The Defence Academy.
JCEAG at Digby.
And other bits and pieces.
No increase in mass, just moving the deckchairs and re brigading assets while giving greater emphasis with Cyber.
I have followed these organisations and ORBATS for years and this “created” and “new” nonsense isn’t true.
The previous 3 high altitude Zepher Drones were themselves operated by Strategic Command.