-
DASA has
launched a new Themed Competition: Novel Amphibious Craft
- Funded by the Defence Innovation Unit
- Up to £1 million available for innovations to help develop
capabilities that can deliver Commando Force Strike Teams and
equipment to coastal access points, safely and rapidly
The Defence and Security
Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to
launch a new Themed Competition, Novel Amphibious
Craft. Run on behalf of the Defence Innovation Unit, this
competition seeks innovative technologies which can feed into the
development of a Novel Amphibious Craft concept to enable
Commando Force to safely and rapidly insert themselves into
high-threat environments. The future craft needs to:
- travel at sustained high speed over a long range
- provide the ability to deliver personnel and light vehicles
to a coastal access point with limited or no impact on
operational speed/capability
- relaunch from the coastal access point
- operate with low signature across all spectrums (thermal,
radar, visual, acoustic, etc.) to reduce the probability of
detection
Key dates and funding
£1 million (Exc. VAT) funding is available for this Themed
Competition. DASAexpects to fund
several proposals between £100K – 350K.
The deadline to submit a proposal is midday 10 January 2023
(GMT).
New capability requirements for amphibious
assault
The Commando Force needs the ability to insert troops and
equipment that are fit to fight into high-threat environments
safely. However, advances in coastal defences mean that an
amphibious assault relying on outdated technology and concepts
can be deterred, disrupted, and defeated.
A bold new approach is required to overcome these modern threats.
Innovative technologies will enable the Commando Force to reach
further, move faster, and strike decisively without being
detected.
This competition aims to investigate and accelerate innovative
solutions that will help meet operational requirements and
achieve mission success, including feeding into the development
of a Novel Amphibious Craft. DASA is seeking to
address the following challenges:
-
how to reduce the signature across multiple spectrums
(thermal, radar, visual, acoustic, etc.)
-
how to deliver the Commando Force (Troops and Vehicles)
across the water gap and minimise the requirement for wading
-
how to routinely land onto/retract from an unprepared coastal
access point
-
how to sustain speeds of at least 25kts in the fully loaded
condition, in Sea State 2
For a more detailed breakdown of the platform specifications and
requirements, read the full competition
document.
Novel Amphibious Craft: Themes
This competition has two themes. Innovators can apply for funding
in either theme.
Theme 1: Priority Challenges
Theme 1 aims to address the following technical challenges faced
by the capability:
- Theme 1a: How to reduce the signature across multiple
spectrums (thermal, radar, visual, acoustic etc.)
- Theme 1b: How to deliver the Commando Force (troops and
vehicles) across the water gap and minimise the requirement for
wading
- Theme 1c: How to land onto/retract from an unprepared coastal
access point
Theme 2: Capability Design
Theme 2 aims to design a craft capable of delivering the complete
capability defined above. This is a lower Technology Readiness
Level (TRL) theme
up to TRL 4.
To learn more about the themes of the competition, read the full competition
document.
Webinars
This competition will feature a series of 20 minute one-to-one
teleconference sessions, providing innovators the opportunity to
ask competition organisers specific questions. Register below.
3 November
2022
8 November
2022
Submit a proposal
Do you have an innovation that will help contribute to the
development of a novel amphibious craft, capable of delivering
Commando Force Strike Teams and equipment to coastal access
points?
Submit your idea and
help enable the Commando Force to safely and rapidly insert
themselves into high-threat environments.
Learn more and submit a
proposal.
