Find a TenderPast planning noticePreliminary market engagement notice
Published 29 Jul 2025, 17:20 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Autonomous Collaborative Platform Tranche 2

Official notice

Authority: Ministry of Defence (Central government)

GoodsAbove thresholdSME suitable
Planned pipeline value£20,000,000pipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 27 Apr 2026from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 2 yrsends 29 Apr 2029 · starts 29 Apr 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

In March 2024 the MOD published the RAF Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Strategy that defines the RAF's vision for procurement of ACPs to support their future capability requirements. In May 2025 the MOD announced the delivery of StormShroud Mk1 into service, marking the first ACP to be formally delivered to the RAF.

In June 2025 the MOD published the Strategic Defence Review which recommended "the RAF must stay at the leading edge of combat air's evolution, through the transition from exclusively crewed combat air platforms to a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) with a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and increasingly autonomous platforms" and that "to assure the future of UK combat air, investment in ACPs should be considered alongside investment in FCAS and the Global Combat Air Programme. The ACPs must be designed to operate in collaboration with the fourth-, fifth- and future generations of combat aircraft and to operate from the UK aircraft carriers".

CPV: Non-piloted aircraft

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Planned 2 yrsSME
Contract period: 29 Apr 2027 – 29 Apr 2029 (2 yrs)
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligible

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Goods
Notice status
Past planning notice
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
29 Jul 2025, 17:20 BST
Last source update
29 Jul 2025, 17:37 BST
Authority reference
715469450
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-044033
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Non-piloted aircraft
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-056872 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

29 Jul 2025 → 29 Apr 2027 · 4 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    29 Jul 2025, 17:20 BST
  2. Market engagement
    12 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST

    The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) is to help the MOD capture information and insights into the current, and future, ACP industrial landscape for a specific set of systems. This will assist the MOD to:

    a. Understand new systems which are coming to market;

    b. inform the viability of capability requirements, timescales and costs;

    c. develop outline procurement strategies for any future acquisition of these systems;

    d. shape our understanding of programme delivery and associated risk

    There are currently 4 systems which the MOD would like to understand, these are:

    a. Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) Effects. A complete EW Effects capability should include all equipment and services required for the User to deliver EW effects against adversary Integrated Air Defence Systems, including but not limited to; Air Vehicles, EW Payloads, Ground Equipment (including control systems) and end-to-end Logistics Support.

    b. Signature Managed Air Vehicle. Air Vehicles that have signature managed characteristics or capabilities to reduce detectability by Integrated Air Defence Systems.

    c. One Way Air Vehicle. Cost-effective disposable one-way vehicles that can carry a variety of EW and kinetic payloads, and also be manufactured rapidly at scale.

    d. Electromagnetic Warfare Payloads. EW payloads that deliver effects across the electromagnetic spectrum to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy enemy systems.

    e. Autonomous Solutions. Solutions that enable varying levels of autonomy, or the fully autonomous Command and Control of Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS).

    To register your interest in this PMEN please follow this link to AWARD: award.commercedecisions.com/dsp/web/project/db45… ↗

  3. Tender notice expected182 days ago
    27 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Today
    27 Oct 2026
  5. Contract startsin 183 days
    29 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 29 Jul 2025
  1. Pipeline notice published
    29 Jul 2025, 17:20 BST
    UK1
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    29 Jul 2025, 17:37 BST
    UK2

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

DE&S

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PHVX-4316-ZVGZ MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol, South West, BS34 8JHContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure