United Kingdom: The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has launched a new themed competition, the ‘AUKUS Electronic Warfare Challenge (EW).’ This follows the ministerial declaration in December 2023 to establish an innovation challenge series under the Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) collaboration.
The Innovation Challenge Series is the first of its kind under AUKUS Pillar 2. This challenge is organised by three associations – the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) in Australia, DASA in the United Kingdom, and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in the United States. The challenge was agreed upon by all three parties and is being run as three separate competitions.
For this competition, DASA partnered with both Australia and the US for the first time, allowing the defence to leverage the best available technologies from all three nations. AUKUS is a defence partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US to strengthen regional security and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Through Pillar 2, AUKUS aims to enhance trilateral capabilities in advanced military technologies, boost interoperability, and encourage knowledge-sharing and creation.
Defence is looking for innovative technologies to provide a competitive advantage in electromagnetic (EM) targeting and protect against adversary EM targeting capabilities. The electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) is heavily packed and contested, so low-cost, disposable, high volume and admiringly independent abilities are required to maintain a benefit over adversaries.
They are seeking innovative technologies that can be designed and deployed to enhance the targeting cycle’s six key features. Find, resolve, track, target, engage, and evaluate are vital elements. Sensors, closed-loop targeting, electronic attack, EMS access, and EMS deception and denial are the capabilities that are expected to deliver the greatest impact and potential for success.
For EMS-based capabilities that provide a strategic advantage in electromagnetic targeting and in protecting against adversarial EM targeting capabilities, $150,000 is available.
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