Military top brass attend city summit

NATO DELEGATES ARE ALSO AMONG THOSE AT INAUGURAL CONFERENCE

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

NATO and military top brass have attended a major defence robotics summit in Plymouth.

Hundreds of leading officials from the worlds of defence, autonomous systems, industry and skills were at the inaugural Land, Sea, Air conference at the University of Plymouth.

Organised by The Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), the event was designed to explore how the region's rich maritime heritage, agricultural expertise and growing aerospace sector can converge to create a world-leading hub for autonomous systems, which need minimal or no human interaction.

The audience included delegates from NATO, the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

It was also attended by a number of businesses with bases in Plymouth and the wider South West, including multinationals such as Babcock, Helsing and Thales, but also smaller companies including MarineAI, WholeShip and Chess Dynamics.