The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) are pleased to announce the continuation of the ‘Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence’ competition.

Phase 2 of competition will launch on 20 April 2021, building upon the UK government’s commitment towards a greener future while retaining the invaluable protection that radar provides.

Total funding of up to £3.6 million over two financial years is available for Phase 2 of the competition, from which DASA expect to fund 5-6 projects.

The closing date of Phase 2 is 15 June 2021.

Get involved: Limit the impact of turbines on radar

The continued development of wind turbine sites can have an adverse impact on civil and military air traffic control, and air defence surveillance. If you think you have an idea that can be developed to support the coexistence of offshore windfarms and UK air defence systems, DASA would like to see your technology in Phase 2 of the competition.

The Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence competition seeks proposals that can develop technologies to permit the coexistence of future offshore windfarms alongside UK air defence surveillance systems.

What innovations are DASA looking for?

• alternative technologies that could reduce radar clutter caused by offshore windfarms
• improvements to the probability of intruder detection
• the capability to fill or remove gaps in radar coverage.
• alternatives to radar
• solutions to the cumulative effect of windfarm development
• metasurfaces applied to, or alterations to the design of, the wind turbines
• alterations to the initial radar signal or radar station or processing of the return

The competition is funded by the BEIS Net Zero Innovation Portfolio and is undertaken in partnership with the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and DASA.

Do I need to have taken part in Phase 1 to take part in Phase 2?

Suppliers can take part in Phase 2 of the competition if they were not involved in Phase 1. Additional funding may be available for future Phases of this competition.

What happened in Phase 1?

DASA awarded contracts to Thales, QinetiQ, Saab, TWI and Plextek DTS to fast-track their ideas for technologies that can mitigate the impact of windfarms on the UK’s air defence radar system.

Further guidance on applying for Phase 2 will be available in April.