Defence Events

DASA launching reconnaissance and survey system competition

Posted 19 December 2019

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is launching a competition to develop a semi-autonomous reconnaissance and survey system to help troops safely and stealthily advance into enemy territory over water.

Above: A British soldier contemplating a river crossing.
Courtesy DASA / Dstl / MoD

The military need to be able to cross obstacles such as rivers, streams, bogs and other so-called ‘wet gaps’. Currently, the only way of identifying suitable crossing points is to send Royal Engineer reconnaissance troops to survey both banks of the river – exposing them to danger which also risks compromising the operation by signalling interest in that location to the enemy.

DASA, on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), is seeking ideas from industry and academia to create a new remote system capable of surveying potential crossing sites by gathering data on both sides of the water. It is open to any novel or innovative solution to this challenge.

The vision is to ultimately remove personnel from these dangerous tasks with a remote system that allows more crossing locations to be surveyed, increasing the choices available to commanders and giving an opportunity to surprise the enemy.

DASA is looking for collaborative bids from the brightest and the best of industry and academia to create an innovative and unique capability.

The Map the Gap: Autonomous Gap Crossing Survey competition will have an initial £1.2m available in funding for Phase 1 with an additional £2.5m anticipated for further development in Phase 2.

DASA expects to fund three to four bids during Phase 1.

The competition will formally launch in February 2020 when full details and requirements will be released.

DASA and Dstl will be hosting a launch event in London on the 4th February 2020 where potential bidders can hear more about the competition, have 1-to-1 sessions with the project team, meet Army Engineers and meet with other potential bidders with the view of partnering.

You can register to attend the launch event on Eventbrite.

For those who cannot attend the launch event, DASA and the project team will be holding a dial in event and 15 minute 1-to-1 sessions on 13 February 2020. Please register for these on Eventbrite:

Successful bidders will trial their systems with the British Army over a period of several weeks prior to the launch of Phase 2.

DASA finds and funds exploitable technology to give Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and UK security a strategic advantage over adversaries while supporting the nation’s prosperity.

DASA works with scientists from Dstl, academia, and industry to rapidly develop these new technologies.