Army bosses plan to buy drones that can be fired from VANS after Ukraine's devastating attack on Russia
Top Brass issued a request for a covert launcher that fits in a 'Sprinter truck or regular Transit van'.
The weapon, codenamed Project Volley, must be robust, simple to use, weigh no more than 275kg, and fire at least five drones in four minutes at speeds of 200kmph.
The MoD put out a message to industry, known as a 'notice for contracts', and will potentially give the launchers to Ukraine.
It said: 'The user will use the launcher in a high-threat environment with persistent enemy surveillance.
'Therefore it must create a minimal signature — acoustic, heat, visual when used, eg hiding in plain sight.'
It comes after Ukraine claimed to have destroyed at least 41 Russian aircraft on Sunday with 117 drones hidden on cargo trucks.
They were in pre-fabricated sheds that were loaded on to flatbed trucks and driven across Russia.
As they neared airfields, the roofs of the sheds flipped open and the drones took off.
They destroyed Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers and prized A-50 Beriev command and control aircraft.
Russia continues to launch drone strikes of its own, including one on a residential area in Kharkiv yesterday.
The MoD's notice stressed urgency by saying that it is not interested in solutions 'that will not be ready for UK field demonstration or testing in October'.
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The MoD said Project Volley was part of a £5billion investment in 'advanced new weapons' based on lessons learned from Ukraine.
It added: 'This investment will improve accuracy and lethality for our Armed Forces, while boosting UK export potential.'
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
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EXCLUSIVE The lawless London tourist hotspot in the shadow of Parliament: How Westminster Bridge has become a magnet for violent street scammers, illegal traders and pickpocket gangs
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One recent victim of the bridge's growing lawlessness was volunteer policeman Ned Donavan - a grandson of Roald Dahl - who was punched, kicked and choked by a mob when he tried to stop one of their accomplices pickpocketing a female tourist. Britain's 'revolving door' borders are one factor hindering police, with Romanian career criminal Ionut Stoica arrested on the bridge last year for illegal gambling and deported from the UK - only to be caught at almost the same spot just weeks later. The scammers themselves are highly organised, with spotters recruited to look out for police and council inspectors. This prompted a pair of enterprising officers to snare two of them by dressing up as Batman and Robin. The TikTok video, entitled 'five minutes of unedited scammers', was shared online earlier this month. Cup and ball games involve betting on where a ball is concealed under one of three cups. Tourists are lured in by accomplices who loudly celebrate to make it seem like they have just won money. But in reality, the game is impossible to win. The scam is a Europe-wide problem, with groups of criminals travelling between different cities to carry out the con. Members of the public who confront the gangs are often met with violence, as shown by the experience of TikToker @londonscammers. As he films several groups of scammers, the criminals - some of whom are dressed in designer gear - shout abuse and demand he delete the footage, before spitting at him when he bravely refuses. Susan Hall, who previously stood as Tory candidate for London Mayor, worries about the damage such scenes cause to the capital's reputation. 'The people who are getting scammed are tourists, so that doesn't send a good signal about London,' she said. 'I was recently driving a black cab along the bridge and watching it going on. 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Reuters
7 hours ago
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Acting NASA administrator to hold talks with Russian counterpart on space issues
WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - The interim head of NASA, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, said on Tuesday he is looking to find common ground with Russia on space issues when he meets with his Russian counterpart later this week. Russian news agencies reported earlier this week that Duffy is set to hold talks with the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, for the first in-person meeting at the agencies' heads' level since 2018. "We have wild disagreement with the Russians on Ukraine," Duffy told reporters after an event on Capitol Hill, while noting that the United States has a partnership with Russia on the International Space Station. "We're going to continue to build alliances and partnerships and friendships as humanity continues to advance in space exploration." President Donald Trump named Duffy as NASA's interim head earlier this month. Duffy has emphasized that this is a temporary assignment. "We find points of agreement, points of partnership, which is what we have with the International Space Station and the Russians," Duffy said. "Through hard times, we don't throw those relationships away." Duffy is headed to Cape Canaveral, Florida on Wednesday for meetings and to attend the scheduled launch of the SpaceX Crew-11 flight this week. The space program is one of the few international projects on which the United States and Russia still cooperate closely. Relations in other areas between the two countries have broken down since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "We plan to discuss the continuation of the cross-flight program, the extension of the International Space Station's operational life, and the work of the Russia-U.S. joint task force on the future safe deorbiting and controlled ocean disposal of the ISS," TASS cited Bakanov as saying in the Roscosmos statement. The last meeting between the heads of Roscosmos and NASA took place in October 2018, when Dmitry Rogozin, then director general of Roscosmos, met NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in person also at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
