As part of the new partnership, the MOD will learn from McLaren
Racing’s cutting-edge Accelerator team, who use knowledge and
expertise from years of elite-level motorsport to produce
advanced technology and manufacturing. McLaren and the MOD will
work closely together to find new solutions for a variety of
defence projects.
Projects could include electrification of new military vehicles
and future power options for the armed forces, which will
increase operational effectiveness.
Defence Secretary said:
This exciting partnership will see McLaren Racing bring their
world-class expertise from the racetrack into a number of defence
projects.
By collaborating with industry we will continue to drive
innovation through knowledge sharing, which will benefit
Defence’s engineering and operations across the course of the
partnership and beyond.
One of the projects that may benefit from the partnership is the
electrification of armoured vehicles (Project LURCHER), which
aims to meet the Army’s intention to transition to electric
vehicle technology. To mark the start of the partnership, the
NEOM McLaren Extreme E race car was shown alongside a Project
LURCHER vehicle at the BattleLab – a Defence Innovation
co-creation space based in Dorset.
Electrification could make military vehicles more operationally
effective, including by using novel power sources to cut down the
need to resupply, therefore reducing the vulnerability of forces
in the field. Tech innovation can also help with increased range
for vehicles.
Matt Dennington, Co-Chief Commercial Officer, McLaren Racing,
said:
This new partnership with the Ministry of Defence provides a
great opportunity to stretch and apply our innovation and
technological know-how and a high-performance culture with a view
to improving operational efficiencies across a wide range of
exciting projects.
Under the multi-year partnership, the Ministry of Defence
will collaborate through McLaren Accelerator to apply motorsport
innovation and insights to projects that are jointly selected by
Defence and McLaren teams.
Images and video of the kick-off event for the partnership are
available here.
