UK looks again at rotary-wing UAS demonstration

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has rekindled a maritime vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air system (UAS) concept demonstration to inform a possible follow-on acquisition programme for a shipborne UAS to operate from Royal Navy (RN) surface ships.

Known as the Rotary Wing Unmanned Air System (RWUAS) Capability Concept Demonstrator (CCD), the planned two-year project supersedes an earlier Tactical Maritime Unmanned Air System CCD effort shelved in 2011.

In a call for expressions of interest published on 23 July, the MoD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation advises: "Head of Capability Above Water has a requirement to understand whether a multi-role RWUAS can provide utility in the mine countermeasures, hydrography and meteorology, offensive surface warfare and general situational awareness capability areas." It adds that the CCD "will need to assess platform integration issues and the impact across the Defence Lines of Development of bringing an RWUAS into service".

A CCD seeks to investigate issues with the use of relatively mature technologies and does not involve significant equipment development or integration.