ASW: Anti Submarine Warfare
UK MoD Asks Leonardo to Develop VTOL Aircraft for ASW Ops
- Our Bureau
- 07:46 AM, July 22, 2022
The UK Ministry of
Defence's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Future Capability Group
(FCG) awarded a four-year contract valued €71 million to Leonardo to deliver
the Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System (RWUAS) Technology Demonstration Programme
(TDP), "RWUAS CCD Phase 3 TDP”.
This programme funded
through Defence Innovation, will include the flight of an advanced uncrewed
VTOL prototype referred to by the UK MOD as “Proteus”. Proteus is a key element
of the Royal Navy Future Maritime Aviation Force (FMAF) vision for
Anti-Submarine Warfare support. Proteus – named after a mythological Greek god
of the sea – is due to take its first flight in 2025.
According to the Royal
Navy, the three-tonne demonstrator – less than a third of the weight
of a Merlin helicopter - could provide an innovative alternative to existing
aircraft for tracking adversary submarines.
Trials will test the
capability of the aircraft to drop “sonobuoys” – small tube-shaped buoys that
track and communicate submarine activity – enabling the aircraft to alert a
crewed helicopter and call for support if a submarine is located.
Leonardo – the firm behind
the Wildcat and Merlins which are the mainstay of Fleet Air Arm operations –
will test the demonstrator on lengthy and demanding anti-submarine warfare
patrols – currently performed by Merlin Mk2 helicopters – but other potential
uses will also be investigated, including evacuating casualties.
The company has previously
conducted a number of advanced research projects under RWUAS phases 1 and 2.
Phase 3 will sustain and grow this onshore design and technology development
capability by readying a brand-new uncrewed prototype for its maiden flight.
Following on from
learnings and technology developed through the first two phases of the RWUAS
CCD programme, Phase 3 will see Leonardo create an up to 2-3t demonstration
aircraft that will have modularity at its core. The dual-use RWUAS prototype
will be adapted to deliver a wide range of roles in the military and parapublic
domains. These include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, maritime
specific missions and logistics supply. The high payload and large volume
capabilities, combined with ability to operate in harsh environmental
conditions, are expected to be of interest to a wide range of potential users.
The UK MoD’s RWUAS CCD
Phase 2 contract built on the research and development activity which began
under the RWUAS CCD Phase 1 programme between 2013 and 2015. Under Phase 2
further research, development, analysis and experimentation took place, which
related to VTOL air-vehicle technologies and platform operations, within future
operating environments, fleet mixes and the overall defence aviation capability
structure.
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