Avon Protection Wins £38M UK Armed Forces Respirator Contract
Avon Protection, a leading provider of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) personal protective equipment, has secured a significant contract worth up to £38 million from Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S). The contract aims to provide advanced respirators to service personnel across the British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy, ensuring their safety and protection in various operational environments.
Under the terms of the four-year deal, with the potential for five additional one-year extensions, Avon Protection will continue to supply and support General Service Respirators (GSRs). These respirators, designed and manufactured to the specifications of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), offer high-performance filtration protection against CBRN threats.
The agreement reaffirms the longstanding partnership between Avon Protection and the UK MOD, with Avon having supplied nearly 100,000 GSRs since the inception of the initial contract in 2018. The decision to award this contract underscores the UK’s commitment to maintaining sovereign capability in the production, research, and development of essential defence equipment.
Richard Bloomfield, Head of CBRN at DE&S, expressed confidence in the continued support provided by Avon Protection: “We welcome the award of this contract, which will ensure continued support of the respiratory protection available to our Armed Forces. We have worked with Avon Protection on supporting GSR for the past six years and look forward to continuing this relationship, offering high levels of protection to our troops across the world.”
Steve Elwell, President of Avon Protection, highlighted the company’s dedication to delivering excellence in protective equipment: “We are proud to have secured this new contract with the UK MOD, reaffirming our commitment to providing sovereign capability and unparalleled protection for those who tirelessly defend our nation. We remain dedicated to delivering excellence so our protectors can complete their mission and come home safely, every time.”
MoD Awards £12.6M Contract for Intercept and Escort Craft
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a significant contract worth £12,578,000 for the design, construction, and support of Intercept and Escort Craft. Managed by the MoD Boats Team, this project aims to provide new Intercept and Escort Craft to various users under the purview of Navy Command Headquarters (NCHQ).
According to the MoD, the objective of this initiative is to replace existing craft variants, thereby streamlining operations and enhancing current capabilities. By aligning with the Boats strategy, which focuses on reducing the number of operational variants while upgrading capabilities, this project represents a strategic step forward for the UK’s maritime defence capabilities.
The MoD Boats Team is tasked with overseeing the delivery of Intercept and Escort Craft to multiple users on behalf of NCHQ. This endeavour underscores the commitment to modernizing and optimizing the naval fleet, ensuring that it remains equipped to meet the evolving challenges of maritime security.
This contract signifies a concerted effort to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness within the Navy, while also ensuring that personnel have access to state-of-the-art equipment. The Intercept and Escort Craft project will play a pivotal role in bolstering the UK’s maritime defence posture and safeguarding its interests at sea.
DE&S Launches £1B Framework for UK Hypersonic Missile Development
The UK’s pursuit of a sovereign hypersonic strike capability has taken a significant step forward with the establishment of a groundbreaking agreement to foster collaboration on cutting-edge technology.
Ninety organizations, spanning both large corporations and smaller entities from across industry and academia, have secured positions on a transformative £1 billion Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF). This framework aims to rapidly advance the development of advanced hypersonic missile capabilities for the UK.
Led by the Ministry of Defence’s Team Hypersonic (UK), the eight-lot framework enables organizations accepted into it to bid for contracts, with a maximum value of up to £1 billion over the next seven years.
The awarding of contracts within this framework will be overseen by commercial experts at DE&S, ensuring efficient project management and delivery. With a focus on speed and agility, the project has been structured to align procurement and development objectives, mitigating traditional challenges that often hinder capability acquisition.
This initiative reflects a broader drive within the MOD to accelerate defence procurement processes. It comes on the heels of the Prime Minister’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, amounting to an additional £75 billion investment over the next six years – the largest strengthening of the UK’s national defence in a generation.
The HTCDF has been meticulously crafted to provide a responsive and agile pathway to market, facilitating rapid capability realization. It will serve as a platform for selecting suppliers to deliver services and supplies necessary for the research, development, and testing of hypersonic technologies, ultimately leading to the attainment of a fully operational capability.
UK Develops Drone-Killing Radio Wave Weapon
In a groundbreaking stride towards bolstering the UK’s military prowess, a revolutionary weapon system utilizing radio waves to neutralize enemy electronics and thwart multiple drones simultaneously is rapidly advancing in development.
Dubbed the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) and spearheaded by Team Heras, a collaborative venture between the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), this innovation promises to revolutionize the landscape of modern warfare.
The RFDEW system boasts the capability to detect, track, and engage a myriad of threats spanning across land, air, and sea domains. With an operational range of up to 1 kilometre and ongoing endeavours to extend its reach even further, this technology emits targeted radio waves to disrupt or incapacitate the vital electronic components of hostile vehicles, rendering them immobile or causing them to plummet from the sky.
One of the most striking aspects of this system is its remarkable cost-effectiveness, with each shot costing a mere 10p. This presents a compelling alternative to conventional missile-based air defence systems, offering the ability to swiftly neutralize menacing drone swarms with immediate effect.
Moreover, the RFDEW’s high degree of automation streamlines its operation, enabling it to be managed by a lone operator. Such technological prowess holds the promise of safeguarding critical assets and bases with unparalleled efficiency.
Adaptable to various military platforms, the RFDEW utilizes a mobile power source to generate pulses of Radio Frequency energy, unleashing a focused beam capable of delivering rapid, sequenced shots to individual targets or broadening its scope to engage multiple threats simultaneously.
The imminent phase for RFDEW involves rigorous field testing, with British soldiers slated to put the system through its paces over the summer months.
That’s it for this week folks, hope you have a great week.