The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) will choose between rival unmanned aircraft system (UAS) solutions from Boeing and Cassidian to meet its Maritime UAS (MarUAS) urgent operational requirement (UOR).
Responses to an invitation to tender (ITT) released in mid-November were submitted to the Defence Equipment and Support organisation’s UAS project team on 18 December 2012. While Lockheed Martin UK and QinetiQ were also shortlisted to bid for the contract-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) MarUAS service provision, it is understood that only Boeing and Cassidian chose to submit proposals.
The COCO MarUAS programme calls for the delivery of a commercial-off-the shelf (COTS) solution to provide organic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support run up until the end of May 2015. Based initially on a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) platform, and subsequently from a Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate, the system is required to operate alongside an existing aviation detachment.
Due to the tight time-scales of the UOR, the UAS project team has specified a commercial off-the-shelf solution that will meet Military Aviation Authority regulations. A contract award is planned for early February 2013.
Source: Jane’s