Innovators challenged to warn soldiers on patrol

The challenge asks innovators to come up with a means by which company or platoon commanders can quickly get a tactical picture – visual or otherwise – of the situation they are facing. Data is assumed to be available from multiple sources including intelligence reports and satellite and unmanned aircraft feeds. The Challenge specification states that the system “needs to be usable in combat situations”. Ideally, its use should not alert the enemy as to the proximity of friendly troops; it should have a low visual and acoustic signature and it should either exhibit good resistance to countermeasures or be an easily replaceable consumable item. At the same time it needs to be portable, have the ability to transmit information back to a command station, and operate continuously for one hour. The challenge is open to UK companies, research laboratories and university and school science faculties. It is also a challenge to UK financial institutions to invest in UK. A networking event in January will encourage teams that can deliver “only one part of the solution” to form teams. A meeting of participants will take place in March, and the process will culminate in a grand finale in summer 2008. Lord Drayson, Minister for Defence Procurement, said: “This is a fascinating challenge, and a huge opportunity for those who may not have worked in the defence sector before.” More information fromMOD Grand Challenge