The Royal Navy will shortly be issuing a contract opportunity notice for a requirement to develop Concepts of Operation (CONOPS) for the future use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV).
The service has issued a ‘Prior Information Notice’ in order to give notice to the market of the upcoming contract opportunity and provide the opportunity for collaboration within industry.
“The requirement needs to be delivered by the end of the financial year 21/22 and is expected to have a budget of £0.4m (Ex VAT), the upcoming notice will be OFFICIAL however the contract deliverables will be classified SECRET.
The contract will comprise of three non-lethal mission sets (Anti-Submarine/Surface Warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; and Seabed Warfare); these will be used by the study to consider AUV operational employment over the next 30 years. In each of the three cases, the output comprises a CONOPS including the full range of operational employment of vehicle and systems and an outline of the likely operational constraints, particularly technical challenges.
The CONOPS will be presented in the form of a Joint Concept Note; there is no prescribed format but a logical structure along the following lines is recommended. A short concept production paper will be provided to aid the process. As a guide, the concept should be no more than 50 A4 pages including foreword, preface, and lexicon; with the addition of cover sheets, pictures, and editorial processing the final published form should not exceed 70 pages.
a. Preface. These should incorporate the purpose, context, aims and assumptions.
b. Describe the problem. The drivers for the concept and the operational environment should be explained.
c. Detail of the Concept. The themes and ideas within the concept should be ordered and articulated to provide insights and impacts. Analysis using the Defence Capability Framework will focus the work and ensure the product is comprehensive.
d. Implications for Capability Delivery across the Defence Lines of Development (DLODs).
e. Conclusions and Recommendations.”
The e3rd of December 2021.
The ones in the headline picture should be called T.U.N.A.
Tactical Underwater Naval Assets
Like your thinking. It’s made me think, I do wonder how many of those 70 pages will be about how they came to decide upon the most appropriate Acronym for purpose.
69
Looking at that image all I can say is…
Stingray, Stingray,
Stingray, Stingray…
WZ wrote:
I thought that as well
Me too, it`s the scene from the opening credits. “Anything can happen in the next half hour ! “
I was having a butchers at the GA website shop and they have a couple of Polo shirts I will be purchasing: the other is the Spectrum one.
If you`re a fan, have a look at the new Christmas jumpers. No W.A.S.P ones, but a couple of crackers from other shows.
“Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour!” 😉
Heads up.
OT – Apparently today is the day regards army announcements on future structure and capabilities.
The D Mail’s coverage on the Ranger Reg is also amusing.
https://news.sky.com/story/defence-secretary-saves-500-troops-from-army-cull-as-new-elite-ranger-regiment-is-announced-12477973
Jeepers 73,000, forget Wembley, our army could fit inside Old Trafford with seats to spare! I’m not convinced any new structure or capabilities can make up for the lack of mass.
Still, I firmly believe the RN and RAF should take priority in these times.
“Still, I firmly believe the RN and RAF should take priority in these times”
Agreed.
Seconded, motion passed ….
Love the Ranger “Brigade” concept, more like an enlarged battalion!
My understanding of a Brigade would be three battalions operating together as a base line.
I suppose Brigade just sounds grander….
Still, all for the concept of a Green Beret style force, it’s absolutely the the way the Army needs to be reformed, light, air mobile, well trained and well equipped units, backed up with considerable firepower, is the future.
Just like AMF (L)
The devil is in the detail.
They are battalions of 300 men not 600.
The enablers within it and within the army as a whole and what will happen to them is key for me in todays announcements, never mind the usual how many Tanks.
ISTAR, Artillery, Air Defence need boosting.
Do you happen to know when and how the announcements are being made?
They have been already. I’m dissecting it now.
Here mate
https://www.army.mod.uk/media/14919/adr010310-futuresoldierguide_25nov.pdf
@ Airborne
The GRF is being reinforced with an additional infantry battalion, combat engineer squadron and new Apache and Chinook helicopters. This will be joined by an additional artillery battery and close support logistics squadron.
Enablers restored in part mate?
It is full of the usual spin, re announcements, and “new” things that are not new at all. There is new stuff we will discuss after.
Seems like some of my ideas re the reserves are on track, wondering if the “strategic reserve” is the old regular reserve.
There is a reformed 19 Bde too.
Need to look into it in detail. No computer thoufh, viewing on a phone is a nause.
We need an article on this ASAP so can stay on topic and chew it over.
True, sadly I’m not the one to write it.
I saw there’s going to be GMLRS attached too, do we have enough M270 and are they really a good fit for supposedly light rapid forces?
Also, bit of drama over the badge apparently. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11/24/fury-new-army-regiments-cap-badge-identical-apartheid-terror/
Also also Union Division stirring it up too, should have seen that one coming.
Yes, I laughed at that, and didn’t mention it above as it seems absurd. That was also mentioned in the DM’s report.
MLRS all being upgraded ( 44 I think ) so an slight increase.
If you look at the DRSBCT thingy there is not even a dedicated RLC Reg to supply it with munitions, so how they would use MLRS in the S Ops Bde with no enablers is beyond me!
I think its DMail rubbish mate.
I’d have thought UAV far more usable.
Ok, its mostly waffle until Page 14.
absolutely agree Daniele, as per usual. We need wheeled 155mm artillery, air transportable and smart guided ammunition. Expanded air defence, I would settle for a Land Ceptor ‘ER’ with a 25-30 + mile range, to provide proper local area defence. Crucially, equipment needs to be packaged into a C17/A400 and be deployable anywhere in the world. The Ranger idea is a great one, but I would like to see a larger force element to it, building to a ‘proper’ Brigade level of 2000 + troops. If they are now saying a battalion is 300 men, what on earth is an… Read more »
I did read CGS stating that the S Ops Bde would initially be formed from the Ranger Reg then expanded after. We shall see.
I have absorbed the details now. Waiting for a proper article on here on the future structure so I can dismember it!
Oh i’m sure the Army would take that with the commonsense and maturity we’d expect ! Cue teddies rattles and dummies flying from the pram. 😫
To be honest, I’m OK with 73k as a head count if the British Army gets organised and equipped properly. Pretending we have 82k bodies when we really have 76k, and then not organising them in a way that allows them to operate effectively is worse than a reduction and re-organisation. Not giving them the tools to do the job compounds the problem. I’m a bit frustrated by the Ranger Regiment; if you’re going to create a new unit with a semi-descriptive name, it makes sense to try and be in line with your allies. The Sky article says that… Read more »
AFAIC, and sceptical, sarcastic head on, it is a useful tool for the army to “get rid” of some Infantry battalions that lack the CS and CSS formations because from T Blair to T May they have been done away with. From a “Grey Zone” perspective, fine, but where are its enablers so it can do its mission? Early days but so far it is new uniforms, personal weapon, and Black Hornet UAV. Lets have precision fires, UAV, and helicopters expanded and dedicated to it. But they cost big money. There are no new equipment announcements I can see in… Read more »
Well it stops everyone talking about Ajax !
The only published doc I’ve been able to find is very “image-rich”, so haven’t gone through it yet.
I fully agree with you, although I did see reference to a 500 km deep strike capability in one of the official anouncements. Not sure what that is, but I’m guessing the planned upgrade to the GLMRS rather than a new capability?
I linked it up thread mate.
Yes, MLRS.
Thanks, will take a look over the weekend!
Sorry, not sure what I’m doing with my acronyms today…
£400k for a 76 page document- they’d better not be counting the pages of references and agreeing to font size and formatting prior to award..!
In all fairness, that’s not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things- particularly if a useful capability comes from it. Although I kind of thought we’d have done this already to be honest.
I’ve mentioned this a few times on UKDJ, I guess it had to happen sometime.
Anything you can do seems to be the PLAN!
“China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the road map will also support “strategic co-ordination” in joint military activities, which safeguard the interests of the two countries and protect regional security.”
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/terror-insurgent-group/latest/china-russia-approve-202125-road-map-to-increase-military-co-operation
This makes me feel MoD is only catching on to what other nations are already putting to sea
Do the Chinese already have robot tuna that like to play tag. ?
The chinese would just eat them
bless the little robots they are playing tag.
Yes, like toys. They look more like a flying-fish-dolphin hybrid to me… And what is the silhouette ship in the background. Looks like a very aged ship to me and not RN?