MBDA said today it won a contract by France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) and the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to lead the new Complex Weapons Innovation Technology Partnership (CW ITP).
Dstl signed the contract on behalf of the two nations. The new four-year contract follows on from the work of the Materials and Components for Missiles Innovation Technology Partnership (MCM ITP) over the last 13 years to continue developing generation-after-next missile technology, the company said in a release.
CW ITP will have an annual budget of €12 million – 50% from Dstl/DGA and 50% from Industry – to fund up to 30 projects every two years. These research activities will focus on developing technologies with a low readiness level.
The CW ITP’s new framework will see it focus on five enduring technical areas (ETAs) identified as unique and critical to the field of complex weapons: Materials, Structures & Electronics; Mission Systems & Algorithms; Seekers; Propulsion; and Lethality.