QinetiQ and Thales UK awarded £1.7m 'first phase' of decision support contract

Aim is to reduce operator workload and improve detection & identification capabilities of airborne C4ISTAR assets

QinetiQ and Thales UK have been jointly awarded an initial £1.7m research phase of the Decision Support System contract by MOD to investigate and demonstrate innovative ways to assist the operators of Tactical Air Battlespace Management Systems in identifying, classifying and tracking a variety of targets.

The programme is designed to rapidly assess new technology implementations and establish an exploitation route to baseline, assess, implement and quantify Decision Support Systems for existing and future C4ISTAR assets. Its overall aim is to reduce operator workload and improve the detection and track capability of airborne C4ISTAR assets.

"This programme is an excellent example of the closer relationships we are forging with industry to deliver real value and benefit to MOD," explained Peter Baynham, MD of QinetiQ's Command & Intelligence Systems. "QinetiQ will lead on the initial research phase and the intention is for Thales UK to lead on the implementation once the concepts are proven. Both companies are sharing the upfront risks and both are involved and benefit throughout the full integration.

He continued: "This win reflects both companies' world leading expertise in this sector. QinetiQ brings its established experience in research technology and rapid prototyping solutions to the project while Thales brings its experience in integrating complex and innovative system solutions. This is also a good solution for the MOD as it reduces both risk and cost and should gain from faster development and deployment so could be adopted across a number of other MOD programme areas."

Richard Deakin, Managing Director of Thales UK's aerospace business added: "We are delighted that the Thales UK and QinetiQ team have been selected for this programme and we see the potential to apply our skills to a broad range of future C4ISTAR programmes."

The integrated QinetiQ / Thales UK project team will create a close working relationship with the MOD customer and the research communities to ensure the widest assessment of technology and techniques available. Evaluation of the exploitation potential will initially be performed in laboratory conditions with measured live trials data, with a rapid transition to realistic operational scenarios using current training systems with rapid prototyping and spiral development. The proven solutions can then be extend onto flight trials during the later stages, initially using the Sea King MK7 Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft as the platform for assessing operational validity.

Key outcomes for the programme will be to improve tracking and data fusion, along with improving the display and operability of the aircraft while reducing operator workload. A clear focus will also be to pull through research into the operational domain in a controlled and objective manner.
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