The UK has launched a 5-million-pound ($6.8-million) competition seeking new defenses against mass drone attacks on deployed ground forces.
Known as Project PANOPTES, the initiative calls for an integrated counter-unmanned aerial system capable of detecting, tracking, identifying, and defeating Class 1 drones weighing less than 150 kilograms (331 pounds).
London said it prioritizes technologies that provide sustainable firepower against mass low-cost aerial threats, which risk overwhelming existing defenses and exhaust limited missile inventories.
System Requirements
The effort is open to a range of technologies, including laser directed-energy weapons drawing between 35 to 150 kilowatts of power from their host platforms.
Proposed systems should use open, modular architectures and be capable of future integration with unmanned ground vehicles.
They should also be mountable on existing British Army vehicles and Joint Ground-Based Air Defense platforms, and have a design tailored for potential export opportunities.
Resulting solutions must weigh no more than 1,200 kilograms (2,646 pounds) and engage targets at ranges of up to 1 kilometer (0.6 miles).
Deployment in Two Years
Project PANOPTES is the first stage of an acquisition pipeline that could lead to a future program of record worth up to 150 million pounds ($202.3 million).
The initial competition is open to UK-based innovators until September 23, with multiple contracts expected to be awarded in December.
The Ministry of Defence aims to field operational systems within two years.
