QinetiQ Maritime has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to carry out research into the co-ordinated defence of the Royal Navy fleet against the emerging threat of attacks from small, fast and agile boats that might be used by pirates, terrorists or other hostile forces.

The contract has been awarded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), a trading fund of the MoD which maximises the impact of science and technology for UK defence and security.

The research brings together two innovative concepts from QinetiQ with the potential to deliver an integrated solution for the Royal Navy to counter the small boat threat.

Previous work delivered by QinetiQ was funded through the MOD's Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE). It provided clear evidence of the potential benefit of the technology concept for improved situational awareness that more effectively combines the use of existing sensors with coordination of a ship's close weapon systems.

CDE, operated by Dstl, provided an opportunity to assess disruptive technologies and engage directly with front line operators to maximise the impact of the work.

The research could provide new technology to enable naval commanders to operate more effectively in highly dynamic littoral environments, react to challenging threats and reduce the exposure of their personnel to danger from agile aggressors.

"The project, awarded to QinetiQ, is particularly innovative in nature in that it is looking at an integrated approach to responding to the small boat threat, combining detection, weapon firing and decision making.

QinetiQ was selected not only because of its previously proposed solution but also because of its extensive capabilities, knowledge and track record in the area of maritime command information systems coupled with the quality of their proposal," said Dr Philip Smith, Maritime Above Water Programme Leader, Programme Office, Dstl.

"We are very pleased to have been awarded this research contract by Dstl. One of our primary areas of expertise is the concept development and design of integrated command information systems. This area of expertise is further enhanced by the fact that we have a high level of experience and knowledge of the entire lifecycle of a command information system.

"The work also brings in QinetiQ's Survivability Practice which is focused on the protection of people, places and platforms. The investment in this particular research into the enhanced defence of the Royal Navy further demonstrates our commitment to the front line operator," said Stuart Hider, Programme Director, Maritime Systems, QinetiQ.