Defence Secretary announces £55m contract for UK bomb disposal robots at DSEI

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has announced a contract worth up to £55 million for 56 innovative bomb disposal robots at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) Exhibition in London this morning.

Following an initial £4 million demonstration phase, the robots will be purchased from US robotics manufacturer Harris under the MOD’s Project Starter for use by the British Army, and will be supported by engineers at Harris EDO MBM Technology in Brighton, where the contract will sustain 10 highly-skilled jobs.

In a keynote speech, the Defence Secretary outlined how the Harris T7 robots use ‘advanced haptic feedback’ to allow operators to ‘feel’ their way through the intricate process of disarming from a safe distance, protecting UK personnel from threats such as roadside bombs.