Today’s defence news includes the Prime Minister’s announcement on UK spending on Middle Eastern airport security and the Defence Science and Technology Lab’s (Dstl) development of an app to prevent laser attacks on pilots.
GULF
Several papers, including The Telegraph, Daily Mail and The Mirror cover the Prime Minister’s visit to the Gulf, where she spoke to UK Armed Forces personnel on board Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean, which has recently taken command of the US Navy’s Task Force 50 (CTF50) in the Gulf. Articles reference that during the visit, as part of UK commitment to security in the Gulf, Theresa May announced a new British Defence Staff in Dubai to coordinate regional activities, as well as a dedicated military officer embedded within Bahrain’s ministry of interior bomb disposal unit to provide support and training.
LASER APP
The Telegraph and The Times report the development of a smartphone app to prevent dazzling mid-air laser attacks on pilots. The papers say that the app can be used in cockpits to log, analyse and share data about attacks, and that Dstl have signed a deal with Profound Technologies to commercially develop the app. Dstl scientist, Craig Williamson, who developed the technology is quoted as saying that the app had ‘potential to significantly improve aviation safety.’
