B5 Systems

Posts Tagged ‘QinetiQ’

QinetiQ Emulates Drone Threat for Royal Canadian Navy

Sunday, December 3rd, 2017

30 November 2017 – QinetiQ Target Systems (QTS) has introduced a new service to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) by emulating the threat posed to large naval vessels by small multi-rotor drones.

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The live demonstration was carried out in November 2017 from a Halifax-class frigate under the C$8.5M Unmanned Targets Repair, Overhaul and Engineering contract, awarded to QTS in 2015.

QTS flew its Snyper multi-rotor target alongside Lockheed Martin’s Indago quadcopter using QinetiQ’s Universal Target Control Station (UTCS), which facilitates the operation of multiple unmanned systems from a single command centre.

The RCN has operated fixed wing aerial targets and marine surface targets using QinetiQ’s UTCS for more than 20 years, but the introduction of rotary wing targets is a first for the service.

Peter Longstaff, Managing Director, QTS, said: “Commercially available technologies, like off-the-shelf drones, are becoming more advanced and more accessible to those who wish to use them to cause harm. QinetiQ simulates these new and emerging threats to help the armed forces understand how to protect their people and assets. This is part of our global strategy to modernise test and evaluation by introducing innovative and advanced capabilities that help nations maintain their advantage over potential adversaries. In Canada, we are committed to supporting the Department of National Defence in achieving its vision of being strong at home, secure in North America, and engaged in the world.”

Simon Nadeau, DNR-2 Unmanned Systems Section Head Commander, RCN, said: “The information and results obtained during the demonstration are vital for the RCN’s development of remotely piloted systems use at sea, and the evaluation of ships’ critical defence systems. We are very pleased with the support that QinetiQ Target Systems provided to us during this demonstration.”

The Snyper target is one of several QinetiQ technologies designed to help customers tackle threats from small unmanned aircraft, including the Obsidian detection system and the laser weapon currently in development by the Dragonfire consortium that will be capable of destroying drones mid-flight.

QinetiQ Launches UK ‘Centre of Excellence’ For Laser Technology

Sunday, November 26th, 2017

24 November 2017 – QinetiQ has opened a new ‘centre of excellence’ for the development and testing of advanced laser technology at its headquarters in Farnborough, UK.

The new facility, named Dragonworks, will serve as a test bed for all technologies associated with high-energy lasers for military or commercial applications. It includes a clean-room to enable work with sensitive optical equipment to be conducted away from contaminants, and the UK’s only Reflective Hazard Assessment Tool (RHAT), designed to examine how laser energy is reflected from different surfaces. Further additions to the building over the coming months will create an environment in which customers can conduct full-scale testing of high-energy lasers.

Steve Wadey, QinetiQ CEO, said: “Dragonworks introduces a brand new sovereign capability, which will significantly enhance the UK’s ability to operate and characterise high energy lasers. It will help our customers to understand the opportunities and challenges associated with this disruptive technology, informing their critical strategic and tactical decisions. We are investing in this asset as part of our strategy to modernise the UK’s test and evaluation services, which will ensure our customers can keep pace with rapid technological advances and maintain their competitive edge.”

The first project to be undertaken at Dragonworks will be the assembly and testing of the laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) currently in development by the UK’s Dragonfire consortium, led by MBDA. Components will arrive in early 2018, when QinetiQ will begin building the weapon’s laser source in the purpose-built clean room. Over the following months, the laser source will undergo a process of evaluation and adjustment before being integrated with Leonardo’s beam director. The project will culminate in operation at full-power under test conditions inside the facility in summer 2018, before it is transported to MOD Shoeburyness for long-range outdoor trials later in the year. Data collected using the RHAT will inform the safety case for these and future trials, ensuring the reflectivity of targets is fully understood and any risk mitigated accordingly.

Peter Cooper, the Project Technical Authority in Dstl, which manages the Dragonfire contract on behalf of the UK MOD, said: “This facility is a key step in delivering the Dragonfire project and reflects the continuing UK MOD investment, supported and enabled by industry funding, amounting to tens of millions of pounds in UK industrial skills and capabilities and underpinning UK prosperity.”

Dragonworks and associated projects currently support 27 full-time jobs at QinetiQ, with additional expertise provided by over 50 of the company’s scientists and engineers. The Dragonfire programme contributes millions of pounds to the UK supply chain, which includes a number of innovative small and medium enterprises.

www.qinetiq.com

QinetiQ Wins DARPA Electric Hub-Drive Design And Development Contract

Wednesday, September 9th, 2015

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7 September 2015: QinetiQ is to develop an electric hub-drive to improve survivability and mobility of future military ground vehicles for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The contract, worth $1.5m with an option for a further $2.7m, is part of DARPA’s Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) programme. Under this programme, participants will investigate technologies that could help to significantly improve capability in the next generation of vehicles.

QinetiQ’s hub-drive seeks to improve mobility through enhanced power, torque, integral braking and high efficiency, in a unit that can be contained within a 20” wheel rim. It aims to increase survivability by removing drive shafts and gearboxes, which can become lethal to occupants in the event of an IED detonation beneath the vehicle. The absence of these components could also reduce weight and open up future design possibilities, such as fully independent suspension with significantly increased travel.

Dr David Moore, Director of Research Services at QinetiQ, said: “Like cavalry horses throughout history, vehicles risk becoming less mobile as they are loaded with more armour and weaponry to meet the evolving demands of warfare. Our hub-drive tackles that threat by combining optimum performance with a significant weight saving, which is critical for mobility. It also introduces a far greater degree of architectural flexibility, enabling vehicles to be configured in ways which offer greater protection to their occupants.

“For us, this contract offers an opportunity to show how our expertise, built through 17 years of developing electro-mechanical transmissions for tracked and wheeled vehicles, can help customers de-risk the future.”

www.qinetiq-blogs.com