A programme that could be instrumental in shaping military thinking over the next 20 years will be overseen by the Centre for Operational Research & Defence Analysis
(CORDA). The wholly-owned subsidiary of BAE Systems has been awarded the enabling contract by the UK MoD Research Acquisition Organisation to lead the delivery of the Maritime Surface Effects research programme for Defence Equipment Capability (Above Water Effects) (DEC (AWE)).
The £5 M contract will involve CORDA leading the programme as the prime contractor and provide advice to inform future capability planning, including equipment procurement planning decisions and to de-risk technology to support early procurement activity.
The scope of this initial three-year enabling contract is to undertake research in the following areas: technology assessment and maturation for defensive and offensive surface warfare, military benefit assessment of coastal suppression options, the impact of Net enabled capability on surface warfare, operator involvement in effects-based surface warfare operations and unmanned surface vehicles.
CORDA will work closely with academia and 23 industrial partners. Joint teams involving members from all industrial partners will be developed for each research task and outputs delivered to the Research Acquisition Organisation with defined routes for exploitation of these outputs across MoD and the UK defence industrial base.