Defence Online

In our rapidly changing world, sensor technologies increasingly underpin operations across military and civilian sectors (from autonomous mobility, to modern just-in-time logistics and industry 4.0 manufacturing). We also continue to experience dramatic changes in terms of improving technological capability, proliferation of networked sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled analytics.

In military capability and security operations, sensors are essential in providing data to help build a picture of the operational environment. They are used everywhere from space to underwater, supporting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, to enhancing platform survivability and targeting within advanced weapon systems.

However, as capability grows so does the challenge of ensuring the UK has an information advantage over adversaries. Future operational environments are likely to present severe challenges to sensing as increased clutter creates congestion for sensors, targets become smaller and more mobile, and countermeasures become ever more complex and sophisticated.

Symposium details

The Future Sensing and PNT programme vision is based on creating revolutionary sensing concepts and novel underpinning technologies to deliver pervasive, resilient situational awareness and targeting. Understanding these elements is essential to enable operational advantage and freedom of action against complex and diverse threats in challenging future congested and contested environments.

The symposium will cover:

• shared challenges for emerging sensing and PNT technologies in future operating environments (both inside and outside of defence)
• how research and development investment can be harnessed in future approaches

There will be a range of:

• keynote speakers
• technical presentations
• interactive workshops
• poster and networking sessions (to encourage collaboration across defence)

Presentations will consider advances and implications in topics including:

• The future operating environment
• Distributed sensing and time transfer
• UK Quantum programme and quantum sensing
• Defence and civilian sensing technology: synergistic development

To enable suppliers to work with MOD on defence sensing and PNT topics, the event will also include representatives from the key commercial frameworks (for example, Serapis) and the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA).

Posters and workshops

There will be sessions for technical posters and Dstl-led workshops to consider and discuss challenges in areas, such as:

• Radar systems
• Electro-optic systems
• Sensor fusion and management techniques
• Quantum sensing and timing technologies
• Alternative PNT technologies
• The future of sensing

Posters will be presented across both of the two conference days. If you would like to submit a poster aligned with the themes of the symposium, please pre-register for the event first. Submission of posters will close on 23 August 2023.

This symposium will be co-located with the Operating in the Future Electromagnetic Environment (OFEME) symposium 2023. Delegates registering can participate in both events.