Fearing falling behind, Britain establishes defense technology innovation agency

In early July, the UK Ministry of Defence established the UK Defence Innovation Agency (UKDI) with the main task of accelerating the development and application of advanced technologies in defence.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence , UKDI will use faster procurement methods and flexible contracting models to facilitate the transition of advanced prototypes to large-scale production for UK companies.

The UK is determined to innovate in defence technology. Photo: The Warzone

In parallel, the agency will work with other government agencies to support the entire defense technology development cycle, from initial design to deployment.

To underpin these objectives, two major initiatives have been launched with UKDI. One is to address urgent operational needs by rapidly leveraging commercially available dual-use technologies. The other is to work with SMEs and academics to identify viable solutions, providing targeted outreach and business support to bring them into the defence ecosystem.

Strengthen defense

The establishment of UKDI comes after the UK Ministry of Defence published its Strategic Defence Review (SDR) last month, which aims to boost military capabilities and expand innovation within the British Army.

Under the SDR, UKDI will operate with a dedicated annual budget of at least £400 million ($548 million).

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “Defence is only as strong as the industry behind it and through UKDI we are putting innovation at the heart of our approach.”

UK Defence Secretary John Healey wants a strong defence industry. Photo: UK Defence Journal

He added that innovation “is a key part of our commitment to transform defence, supporting high-growth UK companies to develop future-leading technologies to boost national security and turn defence into a growth engine”.

Earlier this year, the UK boosted its defence agenda with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's proposal to increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, the biggest increase since the Cold War.

The British army was out of date with weapons, understaffed and under-qualified.

UK Government View source link

Original article link Copy link

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-new-era-for-defence-innovation-dasa-diu-and-des-fci-unite-under-uk-defence-innovation-ukdi

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/lo-tut-hau-anh-lap-co-quan-doi-moi-cong-nghe-quoc-phong-post1552269.html