DASA seeks deployable anti-submarine warfare technologies
Above:
An image of a submarine, surface ship and a satellite - all connected via lines and nodes under the sea.
Courtesy DASA
This is one workstream of Project CHARYBDIS, which is being delivered by DASA & the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) on behalf of the Royal Navy.
This Market Exploration is run on behalf of the SDA and project CHARYBDIS is part of Navy Command’s ASW Spearhead Programme. In support of this the SDA have commissioned DASA to search for related innovative technologies and sub-systems.
The SDA are separately commissioning concept studies from suppliers with expertise in overall integrated ASW systems, which is being advertised through the Defence Sourcing Portal. Suppliers are welcome to participate in either or both workstreams.
DASA's Market Exploration aims to identify, prototype, trial and deliver technologies that could support persistent deployable uncrewed capabilities to detect, classify, localise and report underwater hostiles with a focus on wide areas of ocean.
DASA are looking for innovations (covering related technologies and systems) that could credibly result in an improvement to uncrewed anti-submarine warfare capability, focusing on the following areas:
- Sensors for underwater hostile threats, or their signature: e.g. active acoustic, passive acoustic and non-acoustic.
- Platforms including uncrewed seabed, underwater, surface and air: e.g. overall structures, mobility options, tethering.
- Analysis including on-board uncrewed platforms and off-board: e.g. data management, structuring and processing.
- Communication including in-water, above-water, through surface and tethered: e.g. associated software, firmware, hardware and integration (such as standards).
- Launch & Recovery solutions across all domains and locations: e.g. crewed and uncrewed options to deploy and recover systems
- Power sources spanning generation, storage and transfer: e.g. renewables and non-renewables.
- Station-keeping and Propulsion, spanning related platforms: e.g. tethering, anchoring, traditional rotary propulsion, buoyancy systems, biomimetics.
- Navigation, including internal and external.
- Data, including collection, processing, storage, management and wiping.
- Maintenance and sustainment options.
- Training, options including relevant simulations.
- Validation, options including test-targets.
This market exploration is currently open. The deadline to submit proposals is midday on 20th January 2023.
Development of innovative solutions could help support the Royal Navy in their endeavours to maximise their operational advantage over adversaries. Innovations with a particular focus on leveraging advances in autonomy and exploring new solutions beyond the current mixture of fixed infrastructure, short-term sonobuoys and high-value crewed platforms, will ensure the Royal Navy maintains their battle-winning edge.
Read the full Market Exploration document and submit your innovative solution here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/market-exploration-project-charybdis
