Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • QinetiQ and MoD to invest £20m in MoD Shoeburyness

Defence

QinetiQ and MoD to invest £20m in MoD Shoeburyness

QinetiQ and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are investing £20 million into MoD Shoeburyness to upgrade the Environmental Test Centre (ETC) based at the range.



Above: 105mm light gun on the sands at MoD Shoeburyness. Munitions, ordnance and explosives are subjected to extreme conditions in the ETC, before being tested in live exercises on the range.

Part of their strategy to modernise UK test & evaluation, the investment will ensure that the ETC remains the leading facility of its type in the UK and, combined with improved efficiencies, will enable more work to be conducted at the range (where all testing is undertaken indoors which means there will be no additional noise at the range resulting from the increase in work).

Advertisement
Farsound RT 2

Throughout their life span, all Ordnance, Munitions and Explosive (OME) assets will be subjected to many and varied environmental conditions, but must still perform as intended when functioned. The ETC provides facilities, technology and expertise to allow customers to safely assess how their live munitions react when subjected to these various different environments and climates so that they can have confidence it will work when and where they really need it.

Using remotely controlled test equipment, the ETC can replicate vibration, shock and impact effects under extremes of temperatures and carry out climatic tests such as humidity, driving rain, immersion, and sand and dust. Radiographic equipment is also used to carry out non-destructive inspection throughout the testing programme.

The £20m investment will fund new and refurbished and expanded test buildings, the replacement of ageing and obsolete equipment and the recruitment of additional specialist engineers to strengthen the technical team’s capability.  

Steve Fitz-Gerald, Managing Director Maritime, Land and Weapons, QinetiQ, said: “At QinetiQ we are seeing a real increase in demand from customers who require the type of activity that only the Environmental Test Centre can provide. This investment is a direct response to that. Being able to provide confidence to a customer that their Ordnance, Munitions and Explosive (OME) assets can perform as designed in all weather and climatic conditions is vital to our national security. The investment will allow for a more varied number of tests and increase the capacity to meet the demand for this work, providing value for money to our customers.”

Advertisement
ODU RT 2

QinetiQ manages MoD Shoeburyness on behalf of the MoD as part of the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA).

 

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
Survitec secures contract with Babcock for Type-31 Frigate survival technology

Defence

Survitec secures contract with Babcock for Type-31 Frigate survival technology

27 March 2024

Survitec has been awarded a significant contract to supply its Survival Technology to five Type 31 Frigates being built by Babcock for the Royal Navy.

Leonardo secures presence at Bahrain International Airshow

Aerospace Defence Events

Leonardo secures presence at Bahrain International Airshow

26 March 2024

Italian aerospace, defence and security firm, Leonardo has secured its presence at the Bahrain International Airshow for the seventh year.

C3IA Solutions strengthens commitment to British Armed Forces

Defence Security

C3IA Solutions strengthens commitment to British Armed Forces

26 March 2024

Dorset cyber security company C3IA Solutions has re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant in a ceremony at Blandford Camp.

Teledyne FLIR Awarded by Northrop Grumman for Supplier Excellence

Defence

Teledyne FLIR Awarded by Northrop Grumman for Supplier Excellence

25 March 2024

Northrop Grumman Corporation has recognised Teledyne FLIR, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, during the company’s Supplier Excellence Awards.

Advertisement
Marshall RT
RTX

Defence

RTX's Raytheon LTAMDS detects and engages complex target

25 March 2024

The Raytheon Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) has continued to advance through its US Army test programme with another successful live-fire event.

MBDA

Defence

MBDA's EPIC proposed for EC funding

25 March 2024

As MBDA continues to ramp-up its production, the production ramp-up for ENFORCER missiles – ENFORCER Production Increase Campaign (EPIC) – has been proposed for funding within the European Commission’s ASAP programme.

Advertisement
ODU RT 2