QinetiQ, the UK Ministry of Defence, Australian Department of Defence and Canberra-based CEA Technologies Pty Limited (CEA) are progressing the potential adoption of Australia’s advanced radar technology by the UK, for its frontline services. The UK’s Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard and Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy, joined the signing of a statement of intent which took place at the CEA factory in Canberra. QinetiQ will play a crucial role in the integration, testing and assurance of the CEA Radar capability across the UK defence enterprise, strengthening warfighting readiness and the UK industrial base. Today’s signing builds on commitments made at the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations, (AUKMIN), in June, where both governments announced their deepening co-operation, exploring the development and production of an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar capability.The parties emphasised the joint statement of intent provides a framework for continued co-operation as future opportunities are explored.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, said: “Today, we are deepening our industrial cooperation with Australia on cutting-edge radar technologies. By bringing QinetiQ’s expertise together with CEA’s world-class radar technology, we can strengthen the warfighting readiness of both our nations while backing jobs and growth on both sides of the world.”
Steve Wadey, Group Chief Executive Officer, QinetiQ, said: “QinetiQ’s unique expertise positions us as a strategic and trusted partner to the UK Ministry of Defence and its allies. Current conflicts remind us of the importance of air defences, which are increasingly under pressure, and QinetiQ is proud to play a key role in bringing this vital technology to the UK.”
Alan Clements, Chief Executive Officer, CEA Technologies, said: “Today’s signing is an important milestone for CEA and the Australian and UK defence industries. It reflects the confidence both governments have in CEA’s world-leading radar technology and the important role industry partnerships play in strengthening sovereign capability.”
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. “QinetiQ” is an invented name. “Qi” is supposed to reflect the company’s energy, “net” its networking ability, and “iq” its intellectual resources.[5] The name was adopted in early 2001 as a marker of Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) privatisation; the rebranding reportedly cost £400,000. 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.
