The Defence and Security
Accelerator (DASA) and the Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) are
pleased to announce the continuation of the ‘Windfarm Mitigation
for UK Air Defence’ competition.
Phase 2 of competition will launch on 20 April 2021,
building upon the UK government’s commitment towards a
greener future while retaining the invaluable protection
that radar provides.
Total funding of up to £3.6 million over two financial
years is available for Phase 2 of the competition, from
which DASA expect to fund 5-6 projects.
The closing date of Phase 2 is 15 June 2021.
Get involved: Limit the impact of turbines on radar
The continued development of wind turbine sites can have an
adverse impact on civil and military air traffic control,
and air defence surveillance. If you think you have an idea
that can be developed to support the coexistence of
offshore windfarms and UK air defence systems, DASA would
like to see your technology in Phase 2 of the competition.
The Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence competition
seeks proposals that can develop technologies to permit the
coexistence of future offshore windfarms alongside UK air
defence surveillance systems.
What innovations are DASA looking for?
- alternative technologies that could reduce radar
clutter caused by offshore windfarms
- improvements to the probability of intruder detection
- the capability to fill or remove gaps in radar
coverage.
- alternatives to radar
- solutions to the cumulative effect of windfarm
development
- metasurfaces applied to, or alterations to the design
of, the wind turbines
- alterations to the initial radar signal or radar
station or processing of the return
The competition is funded by the BEIS Net Zero Innovation
Portfolio and is undertaken in partnership with the
Royal Air Force (RAF), the Defence Science and Technology
Laboratory (Dstl), and DASA.
Do I need to have taken part in Phase 1 to take part in Phase
2?
Suppliers can take part in Phase 2 of the competition if
they were not involved in Phase 1. Additional funding may
be available for future Phases of this competition.
What happened in Phase 1?
DASA awarded
contracts to Thales, QinetiQ, Saab, TWI and Plextek DTS
to fast-track their ideas for technologies that can
mitigate the impact of windfarms on the UK’s air defence
radar system.
Further guidance on applying for Phase 2 will be available
in April.
