The programme's
aim is to reduce the number of screens and subsystems required to control
a significant number of unmanned vehicle, thus reducing the burden of
the operators and minimizing the room for error. Meanwhile, it would
improve efficiency, taking advantage of the full range of the vehicles'
capabilities.
The new system would be used at sea and will showcase its capacity during
the Royal Navy's Unmanned Warrior, which will take place alongside Joint
Warrior exercise in October 2016. During its upcoming operation, the
system will be used to support a series of demonstrations, with one
of them being mine countermeasures missions involving manned and unmanned
platforms.
QinetiQ's Maritime Systems team, which is part of the company's Maritime
Autonomy Centre, will be working with BAE Systems, Thales and Seebyte
in the development of the programme.
Dstl's Ship Systems & Integrated Survivability Programme Manager,
Dr. Philip Smith said that controlling multiple systems from different
manufacturers is a major achievement and the programme will shape Royal
Navy's future in the integrating and exploiting unmanned systems with
the force.
On behalf of Royal Navy, Commander Peter Pipkin said: "This is
an important part of showing the true potential of unmanned systems.
Being able to demonstrate the end-to-end flow of information to enable
better decision making is key and an important enabler for our demonstrations
next year." |
