The British and United States Armies have launched Project VANAHEIM, an initiative aimed at improving Counter-Uncrewed Air Systems (C-UAS) operations, with a focus on detecting, tracking, identifying, and neutralising Class 1 Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) threats, according to a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice published by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) on 21 March 2025.
The MOD describes Project VANAHEIM as “the first wave of a substantial programme of work updating the Army’s C-UAS capabilities against the rapid development of Small UAS in recent years.”
The project is being run as a joint effort between the British and United States Armies, with the Ukrainian Army also participating and the Australian Army observing.
The MOD states that Project VANAHEIM is not “just another industry event” but a hands-on, field-based test environment, where companies will have the opportunity to deploy their solutions alongside military personnel. The notice explains:
“VANAHEIM is an opportunity to collaborate directly with the British Army and UK Defence within a field test event. This isn’t just another industry event – it is a dynamic, field-based test environment where your solutions will take centre stage and you can work with Army personnel to shape Army requirements and potential solutions.”
The first test event will take place in Germany in June 2025, with additional events planned for July and August.
Participating companies are expected to provide technology that is usable by generalist soldiers, portable either on foot or via a light vehicle, and capable of countering “class 1 b/c UAS (including first-person view drones).”
The MOD specifies that solutions should ideally be Generic Vehicle Architecture/Generic Systems Architecture and SAPIENT-compliant, with the ability to integrate with Battlespace Management Applications.
According to the MOD, Project VANAHEIM will provide companies with direct access to military experts and the latest operational challenges in C-UAS warfare. Participants should expect:
- “Hands-on testing” – where they will be able to “deploy your TRL6-TRL9 product(s) in a realistic operational environment” and “see how they perform under pressure and gain valuable data to refine your technology.”
- “Direct feedback” – working with soldiers in the field to receive “immediate feedback and tactical insights that will shape the future of your product development.”
- “Influence the future” – with contributions that “will directly influence future British Army’s effort to address its most urgent C-UAS challenges and will shape how the British Army approaches rapid capability development going forward.”
The MOD is actively seeking innovative approaches, stating: “We are looking for innovative approaches and forward-thinking companies ready to push the boundaries of C-UAS technology, across all Defence lines of development.”
The initiative is being run by the British Army’s RAPSTONE Task Force, based in Andover.
For a minute there I thought they were actually intending to buy something! Pheeew.
It’s ok….it’s just another trial to add to all the others
Don’t be crazy, we can’t just go and buy anything without first setting up multiple four letter acronym programs and messing around for a decade. We must create staff positions in the army so we can retain the best people. 😀
Yes, I’m sorry, I got my hopes up.
Talking of getting hopes up, there are reports SDSR won’t increase E7, won’t buy more Atlas, and will reduce the Shadow force.
Senior officers are gagged and worry the review will be seen as limp, compared to France who are actually buying things!
Still, Starmer and Healey got a few photo ops in at Faslane…
It’s a sad state of affairs, when your in a career industry that’s seen as going backwards or not making much in improvement then it can be a bit soul destroying. I wonder how many military service people are watching the SDR with a view to commitment to their career or moving on to civvy street. I know that was my main driver when they cut 27000 between 91-93.
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Yes, I noticed the Faslane photo ops. Maybe the SDR is going to suggest a 5th SSBN?
I doubt it. To me, they’re trying to look tough and distance Labour from Corbyn on nukes.
And we must ensure that retired senior officers and Ministers of Defence have their pensions fully financed by sitting on various committees hosted at Gentlemen’s clubs eating and drinking to excess and finishing up throwing dice so as to decide which programmes are ready to be re considered at the next committee meeting. Caviar, Cuban cigars and 50 year old Port doesn’t pay for itself after all.
Can’t wait!! More decisions to be informed, understandings to be gained, , tea and biscuits all around!!.
I don’t suppose it’s occurred to anyone to pick up the phone and ask the Ukrainian defence ministry….
Guess you missed the bit about the Ukranian Army being involved?…
I doubt it.
Knowing Posse, he shares the same frustrations as me when it comes to endless trials of Drones and other UAV types without ever committing before moving on to the next.
We have an ongoing joke regarding it, the same old statements
“Informing decisions” and “greater understandings” year after year, the same broken record repeating itself.
And he’s right on Ukraine. Whether they’re involved in this particular exercise or not, any wider real world battlefield experience and knowledge of actual operational use we could ever want, they surely have it?
That, is what I think he meant?
Exactly.
Nope.
(Slightly) OT but what drone manufacturing capability have we got in the UK? I know anduril are talking about setting up a manufacturing base here, but anything else? As we all know, sovereign capability is getting ever more important..
This is an important question really, but has very different answers I guess depending upon exactly what sort of drones one is considering. Ukranians are turning out the simplest and smallest drones like a cottage industry and tbh if it came to it you can guarantee we would be excellent doing something very similar. Fact is where our engineering skills are at their best and World class would soon be adapted to such innovative output. The F1 business alone would no doubt quickly produced thousands of very effective and innovative products and our Universities would be incredibly well placed to support them. High end specialist types Bae, Leonardo and QinetiQ in particular should be well placed to develop sophisticated ones but time is the factor there if what’s needed isn’t anticipated and developed before actual conflicts kick off, and all depending on spec too. The area in between is the biggest known unknowns I think. The potential is all there to develop all manner of systems but how quickly can they materialise I wonder and fact is much of the internals will be sourced abroad which is obviously problematical for various reasons and need planning ahead.
Yes would agree with this, lots of innovation here but getting it into service within the time frame potentially needed is the big one …
Actually a fair bit but it’s mostly smaller companies as well as QuinetQ. We are building a lot getting sent to Ukraine.
Evolve Dynamics is the main one.
Cool, thanks for that, will read up a bit about them…
I liked Evolve’s Sky Mantis which was trialled on HMS Protector, but I only just looked at the current version 2. It has been fielded in Ukraine, so I imagine it has evolved. They seem to have made V2 even more robust, when it was pretty robust to begin with, with more secure comms, anti-jam, etc. They partnered with a US radio manufacturer for the data streams, and whether that gives an ITAR dependency, I don’t know. Attritable rather than disposable. If I recall correctly, the original was about £20K.
Yeah and has no one picked up on the fact that Anduril is actually a US company so no doubt will be able to turn off any drone capability they sell to us on the orders of the deranged orange monkey as Canadians call ‘it’ and at the flick of a switch .
Anduril is currently trying to rebrand as a joint UK US company for obvious reasons.
It’s a sad state of affairs, when your in a career industry that’s seen as going backwards or not making much in improvement then it can be a bit soul destroying. I wonder how many military service people are watching the SDR with a view to commitment to their career or moving on to civvy street. I know that was my main driver when they cut 27000 between 91-93.
It is right that the army staff and DE&S look at what’s available from industry. As long as they then push on and get something in production as soon as.
One of the big obstacles is the minimalist size of the Army’s equipment budget. It is in last place in the pecking order behind nuclear, ships and aircraft. With Ajax, Boxer, CR3 and Boxer RC 155, there ain’t any spare cash for much else.
We and the USA are miles behind here in fielding a counter-drone equipment. Russia has had its Pantsir system for more than a decade. Reinmetall already has 100 sales and options for its Skyranger 30 and 35. It has been offered to the US army, with manufacture in the USA, but politically, that is unlikely to be attractive to the Trump regime.
From the British side, we have the usual dichotomy between battlefield AFVs and lighter, less well-protected wheeled and therefore cheaper platforms. The Skyranger turret can be mounted on at least a battlefiel mechanised platform, including Boxer, Lynx, Pandur etc. We seem to be looking at mounting something light and cheap on a VAMTAC (?) wheeled utility vehicle.
If so, I doubt that we will get the most effective solution, because of weight restrictions. The Skyranger turret, apart from an AESA radar, optical tracker etc, mounts a remote controlled 30 or 35mm cannon, can be fitted with launchers for LLAD missiles like Stinger, Mistral etc and is developing a laser weapon. Can’t see a pretty heavy turret like that working on a light utility vehicle, others may know better.
I dont know if that kind of fit might work on an Ajax. Striker and Starstreak both worked on Stormer OK, and that was a much lighter platform than Ajax. Given the Army’s odd rush to wheeled vehicles, Boxer would probably be ideal. But then cost kicks into the equation, a medium PPV – a successor to Ridgeback – would be a cheaper and less capable solution and also years away, which the Treasury would like.
In theory, it would be great if British industry could step up and produce a solution. Trouble is, it would already be late and would no doubt turn into another complicated, expensive and late procurement event. Given the current relationship with the USA, we should probably bite the bullet and look to Europe, see if we can manufacture Skyranger here under licence.
I recall one situation where a UOR project was launched when the army was not deployed on kinetic ops. Project Stillbrew was created due to concerns that the latest Soviet tanks might be able to penetrate certain parts of Chieftain’s armour, and the mod was for turret cheeks to be welded on, and maybe more than that.
Time to invoke UOR procedures now for anti-drone solutions?
Also, I was always a big fan of Germany’s Gepard, and it seems the Ukrainians are too despite it being very long in the tooth. Would something like that, but probably on a lighter/wheeled chassis, be good to take out drones?
The defence select committee recently criticised the MOD for not using UOR more often as they produce equipment much quicker and cheaper than the usual fannying around.