Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
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IMPROVING ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE
Ministry of Defence (MOD) scientists are leading the way in Electronic Surveillance (ES) standards, to allow NATO nations to work closer together.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is developing the standards and technology needed to ensure ES information can be shared. This will help meet the demanding military requirements of timeliness and accuracy of locating targets, particularly with the high tempo of modern warfare.
On operations, it is crucial to pass information quickly between sensors, decision makers and troops. Rapidly locating and identifying threats through ES can provide greater force protection by identifying imminent dangers.
Historically, ES capabilities have had limited ability to share information, leading to problems with coordination and timeliness during operations. The MOD and its coalition partners sought ways to solve this problem.
Dstl has been focusing on ensuring coherency with other coalition networks, developing joint operating procedures and developing a concept demonstrator to test and evaluate technology. This has had a significant impact on the operational practices of many NATO nations.
In particular, Norway has deployed the UK MOD-owned technology across its maritime, air and land forces. Industry in the UK has also shown a growing interest in evaluating and exploiting the technology in support of both MOD and private research programmes.
The common message standard and concept demonstrator will be used by a number of nations at an upcoming NATO trial, which is looking at future Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) objectives.
Within the UK, the technology will also be a key enabler for the Intelligence Surveillance Targeting Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) concepts and solutions project within Defence Equipment and Support, with a demonstration planned for early 2012.
Notes to editors:
Dstl
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) maximises the impact of science and technology (S&T) for the defence and security of the UK.
It supplies sensitive and specialist S&T services for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider government, and leads and undertakes those activities that it would be inappropriate to carry out in the private sector.
Dstl is a trading fund of the MOD and is run on commercial lines. It has a turnover of some £550 million much of which is spent in industry and academia.
Dstl is the largest scientific organisation within government, with around 3,500 scientists, technologists and engineers at its three main sites: Porton Down, near Salisbury, Portsdown West, near Portsmouth, and Fort Halstead, near Sevenoaks.
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