TSB to invest £4.5m into autonomous UAS technology

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB), together with a number of regional development agencies and devolved administrations, has agreed to support the next stage of a major research programme that aims to develop and exploit the UK's civil and commercial capabilities in autonomous unmanned air systems technology.

The £4.5m funding from the TSB will support two projects: Separation Assurance & Control and Autonomy & Decision Making – both within the second phase of the Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment programme, known as ASTRAEA II. Further funding, of up to £10 million, will be provided by some of the regional development agencies and devolved administrations. The seven main industrial partners in the programme – Agent Oriented Software Ltd, BAE Systems, Cobham, EADS, QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce and Thales UK – will jointly invest a further £16 million.

“The complete systems approach of the ASTRAEA programme will strengthen the UK's lead and place us in a very strong position to exploit the technology,” said Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson. “It will generate commercial benefit for this key British industry, ahead of our competitors.”

Explaining the TSB's support for the programme, its chief executive, Iain Gray, added: “We are providing further support to the ASTRAEA programme because it has already developed exciting new technologies that will help to retain the UK's competitive advantage in this growing field. Through the programme's extensive supply chain and its many academic partners, ASTRAEA II will, I am sure, continue to make real progress and will provide significant global opportunities for the British companies involved in the years ahead.”

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