QinetiQ has supported the RAF and BAE Systems in rapidly integrating and testing laser guided, low-cost missiles to RAF Typhoons, which are now being used in the Middle East to defend against drone attacks. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), developed by BAE Systems, was trialled earlier this year at the MOD Aberporth range in west Wales, which is operated by QinetiQ under the Long Term Partnering Agreement. QinetiQ supported the integration of the weapon with the Typhoon before the trials to prove the engineering had been successful, also creating a safety zone at the range and providing realistic targets for the Typhoon pilots to train against. With a top speed of approximately 350mph, the Banshee Whirlwind is one of QinetiQ’s Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) training targets, manufactured in Ashford, Kent and used by over 30 countries to represent aerial threats. Supporting the integration of the APKWS weapon with the Typhoon was enabled via the QinetiQ-led long-term Engineering Delivery Partnership contract. Through EDP, QinetiQ delivers a broad range of specialist engineering services to the Ministry of Defence, that support the continued maintenance and development upgrades of the Typhoon fleet.
Steve Wadey, Group Chief Executive Officer, QinetiQ, said: “From engineering expertise to live trials, our teams are providing the fundamental support needed by our armed forces, to deliver the urgent capabilities that ensure the UK and its allies remain safe and warfighting ready.”
QinetiQ is a British defence technology company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire. It operates primarily in the defence, security and critical national infrastructure markets and runs testing and evaluation capabilities for air, land, sea and target systems. As a private entity, QinetiQ was created in July 2001; prior to this its assets had been part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), a now-defunct British government organisation. While a large portion of DERA’s assets, sites, and employees were transferred to QinetiQ, other elements were incorporated into the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), which remains in government ownership. Some former DERA locations have thus become key sites for QinetiQ. These include Farnborough, Hampshire; MoD Boscombe Down, Wiltshire; and Malvern, Worcestershire.
