Battles historic and partnerships enduring

The P-51 Mustang was an iconic fighter aircraft in US combat service during the 1940s and 1950s during the Second World War, and the Korean War. A global phenomenon, it was also pressed into service by allies including Australia, South Africa, the Republic of Korea, France and the Netherlands. It was first flown operationally by the UK’s Royal Air Force as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber. The Mustang was the choice of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine, built under licence in the US by Packard that provided the aircraft with its high altitude performance. Though the Mustang was faster than the Supermarine Spitfire that it succeeded, the engine was an iteration of the one that powered the Spitfire and the Hurricane to victory during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

With the 74^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain now behind us, it seems timely to reflect on the uniquely close cooperation in industry and technology that has underpinned the US/UK defence relationship since the battle.

The Mustang’s story is just one of many to have demonstrated the value of international cooperation in the fields of technology and manufacturing in achieving scientific breakthroughs and operational successes. Others include sonar, the AV-8B Harrier Jump Jet, the T45 Goshawk and on land the Chobham armour. Fast-forward to the present day, we have seen British technology at the forefront of counter-IED efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, advanced surveillance systems and force protection. The same goes for the US-sourced technology and equipment in UK capabilities.

Looking to the future, the UK is investing in technologies in space, cyber, data analytics, energy, and autonomy. These are all challenges we have in common with the US, and all challenges that would benefit from our brightest minds continuing to work closely together. With the Association of the US Army events and industry exhibition in Washington gearing up for next week, the opportunity for collaboration feels all the more real.

So, how will our co-operation in industry and technology support this new era of collaboration? That is exactly what the Defence Acquisition and Technology Team at the British Embassy considered last month, alongside a group of opinion formers from think-tanks in Washington DC.

While we didn’t solve the challenges of using nuclear fusion as an energy source, or some of the other very vexing issues facing our industry, we did debate a number of thought provoking propositions about the future of defence industrial cooperation. These thoughts were compiled in a paper shared with members of the defence industry and the Department of Defense.

The discussion dwelled on how current business models in international defence projects limit the achievable financial return because the motivations of work share, national requirements and incentives to maximise efficiency and profit do not always align. One conclusion therefore is to reflect on whether we are always clear about the driving motivation for international cooperation – accessing foreign technology, sharing costs, building interoperability – accepting that all three goals are not necessarily compatible.

Another insight was that as defence customers look increasingly to the civil sector for advanced technology, the role of the systems integrator becomes paramount, and the underpinning technology base is largely civil. This is a fundamental shift away from the era of defence technology being the genesis for civil (flat screens, radar, the internet, etc.). In a future that may feature less defence-unique technology, this places a significant onus on the ability of government and industry to react dynamically to the opportunities that new technology present to counter emerging threats.

Many ponder what the next major international equipment programme will be, the next great technological advancement. A more pertinent question might be: how do we need to think and organise ourselves differently to continue to produce the battle-winning breakthroughs of yesteryear?

UK and US defence capabilities have benefitted extensively from close industrial and technological cooperation for over seventy years. As the two allies contend with the fiscal challenges of the post-financial crisis era, the time seems right to consider the benefits of close cooperation and how to maximize future cooperation. This series of papers is an interesting summation of that debate.