UK plans to expand PODS modularity across defence

The NavyPODS programme has already prototyped a number of different containerised capabilities. Pictured here is a remotely piloted air system used for aerial surveillance during a demonstration event in April 2022. (Crown Copyright)

The UK Royal Navy (RN) has revealed plans to expand and embed its modular Persistent Operational Deployment System (PODS) concept across defence through the establishment of a new commercial framework intended to speed up development and reduce the time required for delivery of capability.

Releasing a request for information (RFI) on 14 October, the service said it wanted to build “an ecosystem of industry partners and defence users to accelerate the development, purchase, and operational use of versatile modules (PODS), which can be tailored to user need and iterated on during the life of the requirement”. Interested parties have been given until 11 November to provide feedback to the Navy Command.

Originally known as the NavyPODS, this was conceived by the RN's in-house Office of the Chief Technology Officer organisation back in 2021 as an initiative to develop a suite of deployable and interchangeable mission modules that would enable the rapid fielding of specific capabilities across a range of platforms. Capabilities developed and/or prototypes as part of the NavyPODS project include use cases covering command-and-control, classified workspaces, logistics, experimentation, medical, and unmanned systems' operations and maintenance.

The navy is now looking to set up a new commercial framework to support the concept development (including testing and evaluation), manufacture, delivery, management, through-life maintenance, and support of joint deployable modular capabilities. “The intention is to build on the hard work undertaken as part of the NavyPODS project [delivering bespoke capabilities deployed within modular units matching the common dimensions of a shipping container] but not exclusively for use in the maritime domain,” said the RFI.