Providing our customers with energy resilience is critical to sustaining missions. Defence operators can improve their energy resilience by implementing energy-efficient systems, using renewable energy sources, and developing energy storage capabilities. This can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and improve the ability to withstand power outages or disruptions.
Andrew explains there are various opportunities where we can help improve energy and supply chain resilience; “Imagine a future where our customers are able to produce their own synthetic fuel supply (literally using carbon captured from the air, and hydrogen generated from water). Our customers will become resilient to fuel market supply shocks, and drastically reduce their logistics’ footprint. Naturally, this is good for the customer, and better for the environment. We are actively pioneering technologies to make this Sci-Fi concept a reality.
“Supply Chain Resilience is equally important. Defence operators can improve supply chain resilience by diversifying suppliers, implementing sustainable sourcing practices, and reducing the environmental impact of transportation. This can reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions and improve the ability to respond to emergencies.
“As an example, in times of crisis such as we have experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic, access to rare earth minerals and materials in batteries can be challenged. To maintain access to these materials and continue to operate unhindered in an increasingly electronic world, we need to embrace circular economy principles into our designs from day one. This includes themes such as design for disassembly – ensuring we have a better ability to access, recycle and repurpose materials through life, and ultimately reduce our exposure to future volatile supply chain risks.
“We also need to ensure that we are resilient to the effects of increased extreme weather events in the face of a climate changed world; a world that the future Tempest platform is likely to operate in. This covers themes such as weather events disrupting the supply chain, damaging infrastructure, and influencing the availability of materials, through to ensuring our products are able to maintain performance over their operating life (for example in higher ambient global temperatures).”
Discover more about the energy transition by following the link below