SEAS-DTC
Systems Engineering and Integrated
Systems for Defence - Autonomous and Semi-autonomous Vehicles
Defence Technology Centre
In January 2005 BAE Systems
Air Systems were appointed prime contractor for the fourth MOD Defence Technology
Centre - Systems Engineering & Integrated Systems for Defence: Autonomous
& Semi Autonomous Vehicles (SEAS). The SEIC is playing a leading role in
the direction and management of this DTC.
DTCs are virtual centres of excellence established in broad technology areas
that are of significant importance to the delivery of UK defence capabilities.
Their strategic aim is to provide more rapid pull-through of low maturity research
into the UK MOD’s defence equipment programme.
DTCs are a formal collaborative
arrangement between industry and academia, part funded by MOD and part by the
participants, aimed at generating and enhancing technology vital to the delivery
of future UK defence capabilities.
Each DTC undertakes a diverse range of research in its technology area, with
a significant portion being highly innovative. The programme of work is not
defined by the MOD but the MOD does define the essential and desired outcomes
it wishes the DTC to achieve. General information about the DTCs can be found
at http://www.mod.uk/dtc/.
The initial tranche of DTCs were started in 2003 and their success is being
closely looked at by other nations and government departments as models for
collaboration between government, industry and academia. The first DTCs were
in the areas of
The SEAS DTC is the fourth
DTC, and the contract was signed in January 2005. Information can be found at
its web-site www.seasdtc.co.uk. Dstl is the customer for the DTC, acting on
behalf of the UK MOD and the prime contract has a 3 year duration with an option
for a further 3 years, and has a maximum value of £5M per annum, matched
by DTC consortium contribution-in-kind.
As its name clearly suggests, the SEAS DTC aims to research innovative technologies
relevant to autonomous systems, at both whole system and sub-system level and,
through the adoption of System Engineering approaches, to facilitate pull through
of technology into military applications. It also aims to learn lessons from
the application of Systems Engineering in this context that can be applied more
widely to the management of research and capability acquisition.
DTC research is aligned
into six themes, which are linked by additional, cross-DTC Systems Engineering
work carried out by the Systems Engineering Framework Team. This work is designed
to contextualise, integrate and demonstrate the outcomes of the theme based
research. The DTC gains external advice on military requirements and doctrine
through the Requirements Group, and wide-ranging advice on technologies, other
relevant research and exploitation opportunities through the independent Research
Advisory Board.
The research themes lie at the heart of the DTC's strategy and constitute the
core of DTC work. The Theme Leaders provide the driving force behind successful
proposal, selection and execution of research work within each theme area, and
play a key part in cross-theme integration. The research theme leaders come
from the consortia members.
The SEIC provides theme
leadership for the Systems Engineering Research theme and the team leadership
for the System Integration activity within the Systems Engineering Framework
team. See figure above.
The Industry Theme Leaders work in a team with MOD Research Directors and Dstl
to select innovative research topics from universities, SMEs and industrial
research centres. The industrial participation aids the identification of relevant
and meaningful research targets for the academic communities to pursue and encourages
their early evaluation and exploitation by the industrial community.
Loughborough University researchers are involved within the science provider
community supporting the Systems Engineering Research theme. The themes key
areas of interest are shown in the figure below.
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