All articles by Daniel Garrun
Daniel Garrun
The next generation of wearable sensors for frontline troops
The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, together with industry partners Roke Manor Research, QinetiQ and Systems Engineering and Assessment, has developed dismounted close combat sensors which enable GPS-free navigation, automatic threat detection and information sharing for frontline troops. With successful demonstrations of the sensor technology completed in September, Claire Apthorp finds out how the system keeps pace with the challenges of conflict in urban areas.
Timeline: 100 years of tanks
The first tanks rolled across a battlefield on the morning of 15 September 1916, when British forces attacked the positions of the German 28th Reserve Infantry Regiment at Flers–Courcelette with 32 tanks in an effort to break the stalemate on the Somme. To honour the 100th anniversary of the memorable event, Claire Apthorp takes a look back over the evolution of tanks in the UK
Rolls-Royce row: could a weak UK defence budget force a British icon to leave the sector?
Rolls-Royce has warned that continued pressure on the UK defence budget could force the company to reduce investment in its highly-skilled defence workforce, with a worst-case scenario of the company pulling out of UK defence sector altogether. The heavy-handed warning did, however, come hot on the heels of a government review of whether or not the company overstated costs on a Hawk trainer contract. So does the threat hold weight? Claire Apthorp reports.
Wrong kit, wrong place: will the Chilcot lessons be learned?
“Lessons will be learned” is a mantra that has become the required response to every British inquiry into instances of abuse, scandal or disaster, typically uttered shortly before the conclusions drawn are forgotten, the recommendations ignored, and in time, the same mistakes repeated. Seven years and £10m of public money in the making, is the long-awaited Chilcot report destined to suffer the same fate, or are things at last about to change? Dr Gareth Evans reports.
Singapore’s 1bn helicopter deal reveals true ambition of a new heavyweight
In the midst of a navy and air force evolution, Singapore will be offering a $1bn (£687m) tender for multi-purpose military utility helicopters in an effort to develop and maintain continued air superiority in a region marked by rising nationalism, territorial disputes and emerging asymmetric threats. Simon O. Williams, director of Tactique Services reports.
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Gearing up for the next generation of air combat helicopter
An update from Sikorsky reveals that the $1.2bn programme to replace the US Air Force’s rapidly ageing HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters is progressing well. The contract signed in 2014 will see the delivery of HH-60W designed for critical combat search and rescue and personnel recovery operations for all US military services. Claire Apthorp caught up with the project to get a glimpse of the final product and find out what it can do.
The smart deployed HQ: digital transformation in the battlefield
Digital technologies are transforming old and inefficient ways of working and making businesses much more agile. Can they do the same in the defence sector, where success on deployments depends so much on the ability to make the right decision under pressure? A recent pilot of a ‘Smart HQ’ during April’s joint UK-France Griffin Strike military exercise would suggest that the answer is yes. BT’s director of defence Bill Holford tells us more.
Ready set go: Australia’s Land 400 programme
As the Australian Government zeroes in on a new fleet of armoured fighting vehicles under its biggest ever land acquisition programme, industry teams are aligning themselves to get a part of the action. Claire Apthorp reports.
Waking up to the military implications of a worldwide “space internet”
Plans by SpaceX, Google and others to provide a worldwide internet access via drones or space based satellites is a noble goal, but it could have major military implications. Giles Peeters, Track24 Defence sector director explains why we need to be prepared.
British Army turns to Oculus Rift to take the sting out of battlefield trauma
British soldiers could soon be donning the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to train for medical emergencies on the battlefield. A British consultancy has just unveiled the world’s first immersive medical trainer using the innovative virtual technology. Just like gamers, troops could soon experience life-like battlefield scenarios in a fully immersive environment.