The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has published a tender notice for the procurement of Counter-Uncrewed Air Systems (C-uAS), with a specific focus on “Electro-Magnetic DETECT and/or DEFEAT (EMDaD) capabilities and associated equipment”.
This initiative, led by the ‘Dismounted Close Combat (DCC) Team’, is aimed at enhancing the defensive capabilities of the Dismounted Close Combat Soldier through the introduction of advanced military electronic systems designed to counter drone threats.
The tender outlines a Framework Agreement contract expected to extend over a “seven-year period”, with an estimated value of up to “£38.75 million, excluding VAT”. This contract is poised to include multiple products from a variety of suppliers.
Published on 27 March 2024, the tender specifies a project delivery timeline from “31 July 2024 to 31 July 2031″, with a submission deadline for interested parties set at “17:00 on 15 May 2024″.
The tender document states that “an e-auction will not be utilised for this procurement, and potential suppliers’ personal situations may influence their eligibility”. After the award of the Framework Agreement, the MOD plans to “obtain technical data on proposed products, which will then be subject to rigorous trials and assessments either by the authority itself or a designated third party”.
Furthermore, the MOD intends to award a service contract to a single UK-based supplier for the trial and assessment of all equipment procured under the framework. This contract, pursued separately, is aimed at consolidating the evaluation process, ensuring a thorough assessment of the equipment’s efficacy.
The tender also highlights that the “cyber risk level associated with this project has been assessed as Very Low”, ensuring potential suppliers are aware of the security expectations and requirements.
Interested suppliers are urged to “register their interest and obtain full details of the procurement exercise” via the MOD’s e-Tendering system, underlining the MOD’s commitment to transparency and inclusivity in its procurement processes.
We need it.
There is a sobering ( or hilarious, when my sick SOH is working ) video on Twitter of a Russian being followed slowly around a tank by a FPV drone, hovering gently like a fly before it zooms in and bang.
He had no chance, and the skill of the UKR drone operator was clear.
Is it time our soldiers had a shotgun? As this guy was already dead and had no defence beyond the Benny Hill running.
Shotgun: Belgian Air Force adopts Italian Benelli M4 shotgun as counter-UAS solution
But it will not be an individual defence, you can’t have all soldiers with shotgun plus their own weapon.
Daniele . The UK SF on duty alongside the US SF in Syria, noted the US had equipped their soldiers with the Israeli Smash sight for their personal weapons , passed that snippet up the chain which saw the Uk purchase an initial 225 such systems for the British army . I quote from Defence Brief from a year ago: “”The British Army is set to equip its close combat soldiers with the SMASH smart weapon sight fire control system developed by Israeli company Smart Shooter. The SMASH system has been specifically developed to equip dismounted soldiers with a tactical… Read more »
Thanks Farouk. I was aware of Smash already but thought it pretty limited in distribution, as you say V high readiness elements only.
Your last para is very encouraging.
Lots of evidence a shotty works on these damned things. Hunt Sabs increasingly use them and one was shot down last year in Kent. You see footage from the doomed drone as a guy aims, fires, and then it goes blank. You do see some pellets heading straight for it before it meets its fortunate demise. Footnote, see an airliner had a near miss with one this week? My views on civilian held “drones” are well known 😊
yes the footage from Ukraine is chilling and drones are actually sculpting the battlefield…with drone pilots hunting drone pilots…traditional entrenched is redundant if you can simply fly a drone through the opening in a dug out, movement important if a drone can see everything…in reality an army that cannot manage the drone threat is going to suffer massive attrition and if it does not have its own drones will loss the intelligence battle. Even the EW solution has implications and is not risk free…EW solutions for individual soldiers or small units will make those individuals or small squads traceable as… Read more »
I wonder if something as simple as a mesh made of some sort of very strong material could just be secured in front of dugout entrances to prevent entry and limit shrapnel when the thing goes bang? Maybe “simple” solutions have their place?
Get working in the shed this Easter. Loads of money!!!!!