Engineering news
Engineering technology consultancy Frazer-Nash has won a research contract with the Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE), part of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, following a submission to the themed competition on protecting military vehicles.
Frazer-Nash secured the contract with its armour-attachment system which will enable the rapid fixing and removal of armour modules onto any military vehicle. It will be highly configurable to apply different levels of protection to a wide range of different service vehicles to meet continually changing threats in theatre.
The modular armour system concept will demonstrate the potential to deliver cost savings while increasing capability for the armed forces.
The concept is based on application and maintenance – armour packs will be much easier to attach and detach than current protection systems. This will increase the flexibility and speed with which service personnel can react to different threat levels in theatre.
The Frazer-Nash system will also focus on commonality across the fleet. It will be modular by design, many of the same packs will be applicable for use on multiple vehicles, significantly reducing the logistics burden and through life costs.
Tony Marsh, defence land business manager at Frazer-Nash, said: “We are delighted to have won this work through the CDE as it is recognition of the innovative nature in the way we respond to these challenges. Our concept has the potential to deliver a cost-effective capability advantage for UK armed forces.”
The CDE funds research into novel high-risk, high-potential-benefit innovations sourced from the broadest possible range of science and technology providers, including academia and small companies, to enable development of cost-effective capability advantage for the armed forces.
The CDE is aligned with the government’s Small Business Research Initiative managed by the Technology Strategy Board.
Frazer-Nash employs more than 500 people in the UK and Australia. Its key markets are defence, nuclear, power & energy, civil aerospace, rail, marine, petrochemical and industrial.