Frazer-Nash Consultancy has successfully completed the first phase of a project to develop Swarming Uncrewed Air System (SwUAS) capabilities which will deliver real advantage to the warfighter and be a force multiplier for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the UK Government’s Ministry of Defence.
Swarming uncrewed air systems involve multiple drones operating together as a unified system, often with a degree of autonomy, providing both advanced capability and strategic advantage in theatre across land, sea and air.
The project, which was run by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) - previously the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA -) on behalf of the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), and supported by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) was part of a competition to support the widespread adoption of the PYRAMID Reference Architecture (PYRAMID) for avionics and mission systems.
PYRAMID defines a common architecture for developing new systems, providing a shared structure which can be used across different platforms and programmes to improve compatibility and reduce time and cost. It is intended that new, or adapted existing air systems are compliant.
Using our long-standing systems expertise, the team developed robust engineering processes for PYRAMID-compliant system development. Applying these processes, we designed a SwUAS architecture and then used our software, simulation, and uncrewed systems experience to implement and demonstrate the capability. The architecture provides a strong roadmap for further developments that can be easily integrated into future capabilities.
Discussing the importance of the project for the UK’s sovereign capability, Jack Tawney, Business Development Manager, Air and Space at Frazer-Nash Consultancy said: “The Frazer-Nash team is proud to apply expertise in systems engineering design and deep domain knowledge of uncrewed air systems to support the future of swarming uncrewed air systems. This project has been an invaluable opportunity to use the PYRAMID Reference Architecture in the way that it was always intended and demonstrate capabilities that can be rapidly deployed and spirally developed. During this time of geo-political instability, we know how important it is to develop technology that not only delivers strategic advantage but also enhances sovereign capability.”
A spokesperson for the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office said: “The Frazer-Nash team demonstrated expertise and professionalism throughout the execution of the project, growing their team of practitioners in the development of PYRAMID compliant systems. The result has validated the PYRAMID approach and provided valuable feedback regarding its application. Working with the Frazer-Nash team on this project was a pleasure and we are delighted that they are building on the success of this work and continuing on their PYRAMID journey.”
Looking ahead, Frazer-Nash is looking to continue to use PYRAMID-compliant architectures and to build on the SwUAS architecture. With a growing pool of experienced PYRAMID practitioners, Frazer-Nash is also able to support companies to develop their own PYRAMID-compliant systems to enable easier integration in support of future capabilities.
Image - UK MOD © Crown copyright 2024
