The UK and Australia have launched a new collaborative effort to develop advanced sub-systems for low-cost, modular weapons, according to a government announcement on 3 April.
The initiative brings together the UK’s Modular Weapons Testbed programme and Australia’s SHARKTOOTH project under a joint agreement between the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Australia’s Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the partnership marks a “step-change” in the way complex weapons systems are developed, aiming to accelerate innovation and reduce the cost and risk of guided weapon sub-system development for both nations.
The project will focus on a range of cutting-edge technologies, including low-cost seekers (target-detecting sensors), 3D-printed propulsion systems, modular warheads and fuses, and advanced guidance, navigation and control algorithms. These technologies will be integrated into a flexible, plug-and-play weapons architecture that can be rapidly adapted to address evolving threats.
A spokesperson for Dstl said: “This collaboration represents a step-change in how we develop and deploy complex weapons systems. By combining Australia’s modular approach with the UK’s missiles know-how, we’re creating more versatile and capable systems for our armed forces.”
According to the government, the partnership is designed to deliver several key advantages:
- Lower development costs through shared expertise;
- Faster delivery of new capabilities;
- Enhanced interoperability between UK and Australian forces;
- Support for domestic defence industries, particularly SMEs and academic institutions;
- Greater adaptability to future operational requirements through modular design.
SHARKTOOTH, the centrepiece of Australia’s contribution, is a developmental small missile intended to showcase modularity by allowing rapid integration of different sensors, warheads, propulsion units, and guidance systems. Meanwhile, the UK’s Modular Weapons Testbed will enable parallel experimentation and technology demonstration on British soil.
Officials have likened the programmes to ‘concept cars’ for weapons technology—demonstrators designed to trial and refine future battlefield systems before transitioning to full-scale production.
The collaboration forms part of wider efforts by both nations to strengthen their sovereign defence industries. In the UK, the initiative feeds into the Ministry of Defence’s Complex Weapons Pipeline, while in Australia it aligns with the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise strategy.
The announcement comes as the UK and Australia deepen defence ties through AUKUS and other strategic partnerships, reflecting a shared commitment to innovation and regional security.
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I wonder how many programs we have announced/invested but not bought yet.
There is probably some sense in evaluating carefully the war in Ukraine before leaping. Jamming etc and the fact that neither side has established air superiority and the prospect that Ru and China also learns lessons. That should shape what is needed for the next war, not this one.
The small diameter bomb launched from Himars has supposedly performed poorly in the face if jamming for instance , some Excalibur type
rounds as well.
There is a vast development path on weapons to counter new weapons. No point ordering and stockpiling weapons now that could be obsolete on a couple of years, but I agree. Sooner or later the forces need to get their hands on the toys.
On your last point, it’s been well reported for many years we, in the West, have only small stockpiles of weapons which often give rise to headlines like “it’ll all be over in a week”. I’d like to think that initiatives, such as this article eludes to, would be looking at ways to mass produce, with a quick turnaround, at the press of a button. Going off-topic a bit, I was alarmed when reading an article on here, a few weeks back, how long it would take to manufacture an Aster missile …. 18 months was it? I appreciate these weapons are highly complex and the demand is such that there is probably no mass production operation in place to make replacements at pace. Perhaps this is where the modularity point comes in and having a strategy of how we reach high-rate production of more complex systems like guidance in short time ….. and how we might disperse the production so there is no one geographic point of failure, where a well placed Tzirkon could effectively eliminate production?
David, the units taken from storage were spoofed and jammed. That was rectified by an upgrade preventing GPS jamming. Units manufactured today are not as easily jammed.
But as it turned out UK had enough NLAWs to take out most of the Russian armoured fleet.
These things are often overstated.
If you look at the combined NATO areas they are huge and with HtK probabilities of 85%+ as opposed to Russian 10% [if that – unless you count hospitals as targets] the Russians need 10x as much and 10x the logistics tail.
Totally agree David and something people have to think about when they indeed encourage large stockpiling of drones fo4 example. Much better in my view to enable almost instant shadow facilities that can produce at scale while investing in the exact type of design, development, prototyping and testing this programme seems to be pushing. The modularity (though that is interpretable) is the key here because if it succeeds then clearly some level of stockpiling can happen knowing that base products can be relatively easily and continually updated as required thus reducing obsolescence. Adaptivity however seems to be the greatest advantage allowing constant change and upgrade on the production line in response to events. It gives far greater flexibility even allowing somewhat ironically the ability to go backwards technologically speaking as well as forwards where sometimes older technologies or techniques that are no longer considered relevant and thus not defended against might thus give you a temporary advantage while working on further more advanced developments and keeping your enemies guessing.
Exactly BUT you do need the skilled people to design and manufacture and stockpiles of parts to hand.
Not so easy to do really….
Does not change the point of having industrial capabilities and raw materials. It soon come back to basics, with the fleet and force projection power to secure access to mines. There is nothing like free trade, free energy access in war. Question is what do we do to ensure it. Poland and Germany don’t have a full strategy yet. Only UK, France and to some measure Italy are working in the right direction. Fleet size do matters. And with it steel production.
Tons and tons. Money sloshed about at a time we are told we can’t afford any actual hardware, munitions or personnel BUT we can afford to run loads of R+D programmes that lead to zero actual construction or new platforms.
We should be working on a tripartite agreement with both Australia and Canada to start gradually withdrawing dependence of all three countries on the US. Plus bring in any other Commonwealth countries that be interested.
Thing is Rob all 3 countries have different requirements and all want the prime workshare. See T26 for example. I think what you’re suggesting would be rather limiting our potential partners, i don’t think Australian or Canadian defence engineering offers particular innovation or value for money.
Hmmm Won’t speak for the Canadians but I think Australia may be further down the track towards fielding an operable loyal wingman UAV for the RAAF with Ghost Bat than the UK is for the RAF. I’d also back the RANs Ghost Shark large scale USV against anything the RN has in the pipeline.
CEAFAR phased array radars for both RAN and now for the ADFs NASSAMS GBAD. Innovation in the only one of its kind hovering off board Nulka decoy used by the RAN, USN and RCN.
Speaking radars, Canada has just signed a $500 million deal to acquire Australia’s innovative Jindalee Over the Horizon radar to protect its northern arctic regions with a range of 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers.
Bushmaster and its little brother Hawkei PMVs which probably has so much built in plug and play electronics that each vehicle is a networked digital battlefield node.
The Rheinmettal factory building Boxers in Australia is now exporting them back to Germany so value for money can’t be too bad.
Production of Redback IFVs and Hunstman SPHs are commencing production and are a whole generation ahead of Warrior or AS90.
Plus Konesberg is building the only factory for NSM and JSM outside of Norway. Let us know if we can whip up a batch for the RN. Australia is also developing an advanced seeker for JSM.
And RTX (Raytheon) is also building a factory in Australia to manufacture Raytheon air, sea and land based missiles.
Plus Australia’s HiFire and SciFire hypersonics program has decades worth of experience that is now feeding directly into US programs.
And on the commercial side you know you can thank Australia for developing the black box flight recorders found in virtually every aircraft and if you reading this on a mobile device WIFI was invented in Australia by the CSIRO.
Gilmour Space is about to launch its Australian developed Eris 3 stage rocket from its spaceport in Queensland to carry satellite payloads into LEO. It uses an innovative hybrid rocket engine developed in Australia that combines liquid and solid propellants that doesn’t require supercooled liquid propellants (they are room temperature instead) so cheaper and safer and are fabricated with 3D parts.
ERIS is a commercial platform but if converted into a military weapon it would give Australia an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) with a range of between 3,500 and 5,500 kms – enough to reach the South China Sea and then some. But nothing to see here.
Indeed it has one of the World’s leading optical satellite sensor companies which is why its new anti drone platform incorporating its adapted sensor tech is so effective. For its size Australia is more than punching its weight.
That’s just not true BigH just seen Oscars post so cut back on what I was going to say but if our requirements are so different how are we all building T-26 Frigates when it was not the cheapest option. As Oscar has concentrated on Australias incredible innovative achievements I will just say Canada has serious robotic and ai companies and one of the major fusion reactor programmes in the World (I believe Australia has an innovative programme too, both using lasers to creat fusion). Neither of these Countries should be underestimated, in some ways they are less plagued by conservatism than us, they have a lot to offer and I suspect both (if Trump doesn’t invade or destroy the World economically or actually) will eventually surpass Britain economically. They have potential, a small over populated Country like us simply doesn’t I fear.
I think AUS has some interesting areas of tech.
Areas mind not whole chain solutions.
The obvious thing to do is to open up the United Kingdom to voluntary membership and merge Canada, Australia and New Zealand with us. Then drop the dollar and all adopt the pound, whilst merging everything from the military to our passports.
{Then put a cheeky bid in for Greenland}
And there are some village simpletons on here who claim the Anglosphere doesn’t exist.
We are also in joint defence projects with
Italy
France
Japan
Poland
The anglosphere does not exist, national interest and shared interests drive everything
Small leak in the gov website. The file name of the image has the name “Early concept for the tucana test bed”.
Sometimes I wonder if the UK is really going to use these inaccurate mass drone attacks in a non near peer conflict though. I understand the advantages, but I still think everything is going to be air delivered or rocket launched without a big culture shift.
WOW!
Next gen.
I wonder what we will have when “next gen” is not superlative enough?
There’s an MoD committee for that.
What is it with the spam on this site?
I thought it was moderated!
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When i hear the word “modular” i reach for my wallet.
Great but does the world need a supersonic boomerang or a laser guided digeridoo?