Quantum warships, artificial intelligence, autonomy; technologies shaping the future battlespace
The forthcoming Engine as a Weapon symposium organised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), will look at how industry 4.0 technologies could transform naval defence capabilities.
As the recent AUKUS pact exemplifies, nations worldwide are refocusing defence efforts at sea and looking to new technologies to do so. The symposium will explore how quantum computing, AI, autonomous warships, and innovative technologies can be swiftly integrated into maritime defence systems.
Commander Iain Tall Royal Navy, and Chair of the symposium’s Technical Advisory Committee explains: “This year we will bring together experts from across the globe to present papers on the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, digitalisation and disruptive technology, against a background of a changing and increasingly challenging operating environment. We also plan to build on the success of our past symposiums by exploring the merging of combat and platform systems into one ‘system of systems’.”
Earlier this year, the UK government promised a defence spend of £188bn over the next four years1, which will see the Ministry of Defence prioritise £6.6bn1 on research, development and experimentation of new technologies, all of which is expected to support 400,000 jobs across all four nations of the UK.
Delegates will hear from Rear Admiral Paul Carroll OBE, Director Innovation and Future Capability at UK MoD Defence Equipment and Support, who will deliver the keynote speech on 15 November. The symposium will also feature a wide range of global experts including; Jake Rigby, BMT, Professor Baris Soyer, Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law, Swansea University, George Bathurst, Strategic Command, Bill Biggs, Qinetiq, Nick Smith, GE Power Conversion, and John Mason, Matthew Wills and Dr Ian Whitelegg, from Rolls Royce, among others.
The programme will cover an array of topics from digital twins, condition monitoring and machine learning, obsolescence in the digital age, autonomy, directed-energy weapons, integrating disruptive technology, cybersecurity, AI and enhanced decision making, unmanned vehicles platform integration, to quantum computing arranged over the following sessions:
15 November: Power to Command Now (morning sessions), Power to Command in the Future (afternoon sessions)
16 November: Combat Power (morning sessions), Autonomy (afternoon sessions)
17 November: Digital Optimisation Now (morning sessions), Digital Optimisation in the Future (afternoon sessions)
The conference is supported by SP’s Naval Forces and sponsored by: Babcock, GE BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Qinetiq.