QinetiQ announced on December 2 that it has been awarded a £1bn (US$1.27bn) contract amendment to the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), under which test and evaluation (T&E) services have been delivered since 2003.
Under the amendment QinetiQ will modernize and operate the air ranges at MOD Aberporth and MOD Hebrides in the UK, and test aircrew training through the Empire Test Pilots’ School at MOD Boscombe Down.
The MOD and QinetiQ have agreed to invest approximately £180m in modernizing facilities, equipment and developing new ways of working as part of QinetiQ’s wider strategy to lead and modernize T&E across the lifecycle, from experimentation and research of new capabilities through to training and rehearsal of current capabilities.
This new approach will be delivered by working in collaboration across the defense enterprise, including small medium enterprises (SMEs), to foster innovation and develop future skills, with the QinetiQ investment being recovered from the MOD over the life of the contract.
Steve Wadey, QinetiQ CEO, said, “This contract amendment represents a huge step forward in the modernization of UK Defence T&E to enable the safety and operational advantage of our Armed Forces in the 21st century. Our investment demonstrates that we are committed to transforming our ways of working with both UK MOD and wider industry, to deliver air ranges and test aircrew training that are relevant and competitive for the UK Armed Forces as well as government and industry customers around the world. I am particularly excited that this program also enables us to plan and begin implementation of further enhancements to the UK’s T&E capabilities to address current and emerging threats through the next decade and beyond.”
December 6, 2016
