GARA Initial Technology Exploration

The GARA (Ground Area Reconnaissance and Assurance) project seeks to fill the Army's urgent need to deal with mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at pace. This requires new systems and the development of new tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). The GARA vision is of a number of sensors and effectors, deployed on autonomous small uncrewed ground and air vehicles (UxV), supported by enablers such as data fusion and machine learning. Such a solution generates the required pace and mass, and reduces personnel and cognitive burdens. It brings a need for effective sensors, effectors and enablers, such as tasking of autonomous platforms, resource management, data fusion/interpretation, and management of communications within and beyond the system.

The GARA project is seeking to understand the technologies and software required to achieve the GARA vision. This initial call aims to build an understanding of which technologies are applicable, their current state-of-the-art, the potential future capability they offer and what development work is required to achieve this. This will help to build an understanding of where these technologies will sit on the GARA acquisition timeline.

We are particularly interested in technologies which fall into the following categories: • Sensors • Neutralise • Reduction of cognitive burden

However, if you have technologies which fall outside of these categories but still answer the exam question, we would like to hear from you.

This will require the contractor to: • Show they have the required expertise • Propose an interesting and relevant idea • Show how it could be relevant to GARA • Show what development is required to meet the GARA vision • Undertake initial development • Demonstrate credibility of the technology, in an environment that is suitable for the TRL. • Indicate how this technology fits into the GARA system-of-systems • The work required to integrate this technology into the system-of-systems should be indicated and integration should be demonstrated, if feasible at this stage.

Contractors will need to work closely with Dstl SMEs and plan for regular meetings. This will ensure a common understanding of GARA and the system that will be demonstrated and allow for effective direction setting.

Dstl will consider funding multiple bids for this requirement, within a collective total of £300,000 (ex-VAT).

This requirement will be competed through the RCloud portal. Only suppliers signed up to the RCloud portal with at least 4 of the relevant capabilities will be invited to tender. A list of relevant capabilities is contained in an attachment to this notice.

Use the following link to sign up to the RCloud portal https://rcloud.dstl.gov.uk/auth/register. Existing RCloud suppliers should ensure that their profile includes at least 4 of the capabilities in the attachment.