VTN - Project ASurvey - The Provision of an Automated Aircraft Inspection Capability for Poseidon MRA-Mk1 Aircraft of the Royal Air Force

Concepts

• specialist vehicles
• poseidon mra
• optimal aircraft condition
• military aircraft
• poseidon
• the aircraft external condition
• poseidon mra-mk1
• an automated aircraft inspection capability
• mra-mk1 aircraft
• the aircraft structural integrity

Location

LONDON

Description

An automated aircraft inspection capability, for the RAF's Poseidon MRA-Mk1 (P8-A), enabling fast, accurate and detailed damage mapping of external airframe damage. Military aircraft are subject to numerous hazards due to harsh operating conditions, in-flight refuelling or loading and unloading during ground operations. Whether at their home base or during operational deployments, fleet availability and optimal aircraft condition are key to guarantee efficiency and safety of operations. As a proof of concept, Project ASURVEY will use autonomous drone technology at RAF Lossiemouth on Poseidon MRA-Mk1. As the air system is new into service, the CAMO will be able to establish a detailed baseline of the aircraft external condition and maintain a comprehensive history of damage to individual tail numbers. This will be able to feed into the aircraft structural integrity, and environmental protection working groups. The data produced for each tail number would further enable the CAMO's data exploitation working group, identifying common and unusual trends,

Total Quantity or Scope

An automated aircraft inspection capability, initially for the RAF's Poseidon MRA-Mk1 (P8-A), enabling fast, accurate and detailed damage mapping of external airframe damage

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 34114000 - Specialist vehicles

Indicators

Legal Justification

The Air Commercial, part of the UK Ministry of Defence (the "Authority"), intends to award a contract to Donecle for the The Provision of an Automated Aircraft Inspection Capability for a period of 2 years. The estimated contract value is circa £200,000 excluding VAT. In accordance with regulation 4 of the Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). Prior publication of a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer appropriate. It is considered that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service (as required by the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with [Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011 for technical reasons. This is because only Donecle has the technology suitably accredited to undertake this task in line with acceptable SyOPs parameters and has the know-how solution to achieve the requirement. Donecle solution is the only equipment with full security accreditation from the Air Accreditor for use. Accordingly, the Authority's view is that the circumstances specified in regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) is satisfied."