Increasing UK Royal Air Force interest in persistent surveillance systems to replace its English Electric Canberra PR9 photographic reconnaissance aircraft has led the UK Ministry of Defence to establish a new operational demonstration effort to examine unmanned air vehicle technologies, writes Tim Ripley.
An outgrowth of the current Joint UAV Experimentation Programme, the new effort is expected to focus on meeting emerging RAF requirements for medium- and high-altitude, long-endurance UAV-based surveillance systems through Project Dabinett. Funding and staffing arrangements for the new experimentation unit are still being determined, say RAF officers close to the effort.
In May, Dabinett entered a 15-month concept phase to determine future UK requirements for theatre battlespace surveillance. The air force has allocated 25 experts to the project, say sources. LogicaCMG and Qinetiq beat Lockheed Martin to support the concept phase, but various UAV, sensor and communication prime contractors will take part in future development and manufacturing activities.
Source: Flight International
