UK MoD teams with industry for complex weapons
A new approach to purchasing the UK armed forces’ complex weapons took a step forward on 15th July, with the launch of an Assessment Phase for Team Complex Weapons (Team CW), an innovative partnership between the Ministry of Defence, MBDA (UK), Thales UK, QinetiQ and Roxel UK Ltd.
The Teaming Agreement, signed by all Team CW members, creates the environment necessary to develop a partnering approach to the planning and delivery of a long term strategy for the Complex Weapons sector in the UK. The Assessment Phase of the Team CW Programme will assess this radically new approach to develop and produce the UK’s military requirements for the next generation of missiles and guided weapons for the armed forces.
The Teaming Agreement will also initiate the transformation of the sector through the launch of six new complex weapons projects which are central to the long term future of UK military capability. These projects commence a modular approach aimed at reducing the number of different weapons in service by migrating to a smaller number of weapon families and variants with optimum modularity and re-use of subsystems and technology. This approach aims to offer a greater level of capability while achieving value for money for the MoD, maintaining operational sovereignty over the UK armed forces’ capability and the sustainment of sovereign skills and technologies.
The Assessment Phase, valued at around £74 million for the first year, launches the following six projects using two initial framework contracts let to MBDA (UK) Ltd and Thales UK:
• Fire Shadow Loitering Munition (MBDA-led, with Team LM).
• Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) for Royal Navy helicopters (MBDA) as a lead in to a 100Kg weapon family.
• 50Kg weapon family to meet Air to Ground Attack requirements (MBDA).
• Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Light) for Royal Navy helicopters (Thales UK) as a lead in a light weapon family.
• Future Local Area Air Defence System – Maritime for the T23 Frigate and the Future Surface Combatant (MBDA) incorporating the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile.
• An upgrade programme for Storm Shadow (MBDA) currently used on the Tornado GR4.
The MoD is exploring with QinetiQ, as the Team CW technology lead, and others, how to ensure the best support from the research programme for the Team CW Agreement and contracts launched today, which is designed to create a comprehensive approach to delivery of the UK’s CW strategy. Success of the Team CW Assessment Phase should lead to the majority of current and future UK Complex Weapons being included within the scope of a long-term partnering arrangement and enable the optimum use of approximately £6 billion expenditure in this sector over the next 10 years.
Complex weapons are tactical weapons reliant upon guidance systems to achieve precision effects. Tactical complex weapons fall largely into five categories: Air-to-Air; Air Defence; Air to Surface; Anti-Ship/Submarine (including Torpedoes); and Surface to Surface.
This announcement follows the statement in July 2006 where MoD signalled a new approach to fulfilling the UK’s military requirement for Complex Weapons in response to the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), published in Dec 05, which outlined the need to retain UK operational sovereignty. The Assessment Phase includes the two contracts with MBDA (UK) Ltd and Thales UK and a linked legally-binding Teaming Agreement, signed by all Team CW members, and which will be used to refine and test the Team CW model.