MBDA Wins French-UK Weapons Innovation Technology Partnership

MBDA said today it won a contract by France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) and the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to lead the new Complex Weapons Innovation Technology Partnership (CW ITP).

Dstl signed the contract on behalf of the two nations. The new four-year contract follows on from the work of the Materials and Components for Missiles Innovation Technology Partnership (MCM ITP) over the last 13 years to continue developing generation-after-next missile technology, the company said in a release.

CW ITP will have an annual budget of €12 million – 50% from Dstl/DGA and 50% from Industry – to fund up to 30 projects every two years. These research activities will focus on developing technologies with a low readiness level.

The CW ITP’s new framework will see it focus on five enduring technical areas (ETAs) identified as unique and critical to the field of complex weapons: Materials, Structures & Electronics; Mission Systems & Algorithms; Seekers; Propulsion; and Lethality.

The development funding provided by CW ITP in these areas will help sustain France and the UK‘s industrial and scientific base.

A renewed group of French and UK companies, split equally across the two countries, will lead these ETAs.

CW ITP will also introduce greater collaboration across these areas through ‘Dynamic Challenges’ that will look at technologies with applications across them, as well as any new potential technology areas.

It will also look to fund more ‘Disruptive Innovation’ through short, three to six month, technology projects that whilst at the smaller end of funding, carry a high risk of not being successful but high reward if they are.

Additionally, CW ITP has increased the funding to research activities of French and UK SME’s and academia through efficiency savings on costs of managing the projects.