The UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) has awarded a five-year systems integration contract to Team Protect as part of Project Crenic.
Team Protect is a group of industry partners including PA Consulting, Leonardo, Leidos Innovations UK, and Marshall Land Systems.
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Under the contract, worth £45m, the companies will jointly develop digital equipment to shield British soldiers, vehicles, and military bases worldwide from remote and radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The British Armed Forces will receive equipment that can be carried by soldiers, as well as attached to vehicles.
By leveraging modern electromagnetic techniques, the equipment will track and disrupt the explosive devices.
In this regard, the UK’s military experts will work with small and medium enterprises. This will result in the generation of nearly 50 jobs locally.
While the systems will be delivered to the British Army, Royal Marines, and Royal Air Force’s land forces in phases, initial delivery is scheduled for 2026.
The equipment will be supported by Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities Architecture.
The open technology will enable the armed forces to reconfigure the system for wider military use and forge future collaboration with allied forces.
The system will also facilitate multi-domain integration.
The British Armed Forces are expected to use the digital system in electronic warfare, including against remotely piloted air systems.
PA Consulting Defence and Security global head Peter Lovell said: “We are delighted that Team Protect has been selected to be the System Integrator (SI) for this project.
“The team has deep and extensive experience across vital capabilities, including complex programme delivery, engineering, agile software development, and digital transformation.”
An integration laboratory will also be built to enable modifications to the system to meet emerging requirements.
