BMT partnership selected by Dstl to conduct research

BMT, in partnership with SeeByte, Sonardyne International and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), have been awarded a contract by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) Progeny maritime research framework to propose cyber security solutions and candidate autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designs which are appropriate for Royal Navy connected and automated operations.

The work, though this collaborative framework, forms part of Dstl maritime autonomous systems (MAS) programme which aims to ensure the Royal Navy can securely operate AUVs. This task will inform defence decision makers on the development and acquisition of cyber assured and protected AUVs which can be operated safely and independently within known and manageable levels of cyber risk.

BMT is leading the partnership bringing its Cyber and MAS expertise together with industry leading AUV design, build and operations experience from partners SeeByte, Sonardyne and the NOC. At the forefront of innovation, the team brings together an unprecedented level of technical and subject matter expertise in cyber security and maritime autonomy to address some of the most pressing challenges to AUV operations. The 16-month research programme, valued at £1.1m, is following ‘Secure by Design’ principles to identify candidate AUV architectures and designs with their associated development roadmaps.

Monty Long, Global Business Development Director at BMT said:

“We are immensely proud of our ongoing activities with UK Defence, the Royal Navy and Dstl, as we work together to sustain and strengthen their operational undersea advantage and sovereign capability."

“Our Cyber and Autonomy teams have proven their ability across a number of leading-edge initiatives. This experience makes us well positioned to support Dstl on this challenging yet exciting task.” added Long.