01 Mar 2007
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The Defence Industrial Strategy White Paper
The MoD’s recently released Defence Industrial Strategy sets new requirements for military technology in the 21st Century. The ATC focuses on its role in supporting BAE Systems as it responds to the needs of our most important UK customer.
In its Defence Industrial Strategy, the UK government has set out in unprecedented clarity how it wants industry and the MoD to work together. The strategy is designed to produce a customer and supplier relationship based on long term, sustainable capability. For industry, this is a shift from its traditional role as a provider of platforms and systems to a more dynamic partnership where suppliers deliver defence ‘capability’ and all that entails. This is designed to better ensure that our armed forces get what they need, when they need it.
For BAE Systems, this has meant a transformation in the way we do things in order to align with the customer’s new way of thinking, not least in our immediate and longer term strategies for building and maintaining appropriate technology capabilities.
Simon Jewell, Strategic Business Development Director for BAE Systems, regards the strategy as creating a positive new business environment. “For the customer, it means better derisked solutions from suppliers. For industry, it means we can make better informed investment decisions.” he says.
Simon is tasked with aligning BAE Systems’ key technological capabilities as closely as possible with the customer’s new requirements as spelt out in the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) to maximise our chances of winning new business. He recognises the ATC as an important ally and provider in this role but he has also needed some new approaches. “The biggest change is that we’ve recognised that BAE Systems doesn’t have all the answers and it’s unreasonable to expect that the ATC can provide everything, in-house. I see the ATC more as a broker of technology. It must sustain a certain level of capability but also be able to pull through capability from outside the company. It’s vital that we have eyes and ears in the supply chain so that we can decide whether to make or buy-in at the earliest opportunity” he says (see ‘Mastering spin in – the art of technology brokering'.)
One of Simon’s major levers is his Transformational Technologies Programme (TTP) with the ATC. Over the last two years, this has focussed on relatively few but large demonstrations of capability typically drawing together and integrating a wide of range of technologies involving multiple suppliers inside and outside the company. These demonstrations target key themes selected by the Strategic Business Development team to align with the DIS. “The ATC’s role in these programmes is leading the integration of technologies at high levels of technology maturity” says Simon. The programmes with the ATC also line up with his company -wide Capability Augmentation Programme. The combined programmes aim at scaling the ‘technology readiness’ ladder from concept through to demonstrated capability.
This emphasis on demonstrating capability rather than developing ‘technology for technology’s sake’ chimes perfectly with James Baker, Director and General Manager of the ATC. His mission is to ensure that BAE Systems has timely access to the best and most appropriate technology. “To me, invention is worthless until you do something with it. Once you’ve taken that invention and applied it, then you have true innovation.” he says.
According to James, the ATC expertise and capability already established over decades of defence oriented research, align very well with the objectives of the Strategic Business Development team and the themes set out in the DIS.
“Simon Jewell and his Strategic Business Development team set the demand and we’re the supply.” says James. “The ATC is very well matched to the main technology themes of the DIS. We have 480 very capable people involved not only in supplying world class technology capability but also understanding and assessing the capability of others through our technology partnerships and brokering activities. We’ve built the skill-set and knowledge to integrate individual technologies, wherever they come from and make them fit into systems that really work.” he says.
The innovation needed to transform defence capability for the 21st century needs a constant inward flow of new ideas. The balance between scientific research and applied technology is often difficult to strike but James is confident that the ATC has the right structure and the flexibility to cope. The well established links with universities and other interactions with the science and technology base are key factors in the ATC’s strategy to ensure that today’s ‘seed corn’ for innovation is constantly replenished.
“The connection from science lab to demonstrated capability is vital.” says James “We need a continuous pipeline of development to ensure we get early sight of new developments that could be crucial in the future market place.” he says. “The University Partnerships Programme and the ‘open innovation’ model of technology brokering operated at the ATC are a means for ensuring this continuity. In some cases our input may be minimal, but through these links we have the best opportunity to steer and influence the direction of science and technology for the benefit of the whole company.” he says.
Simon Jewell is looking forward in 2007 to a continuation of the success of his programmes with the ATC. Of the work achieved during 2006 his high points were the Sentinel corrosion sensor and ‘Wildcat’ autonomous vehicle demonstration which were showcased at the TTP conference held in Farnborough last year.
“I’m very pleased with progress and I believe we are about where we should be in the programme.” he says.
A major milestone in the programme to watch for in the coming months will be a ground breaking demonstration of cooperative autonomy linking the ATC’s Wildcat autonomous ground vehicle with Military Air Solutions’ surrogate autonomous aircraft (a specially prepared Jetstream 31).
