QinetiQ to run UK's first UAV development centre for UK MoD
13 July 2012
QinetiQ is working with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to establish a new Unmanned Air Systems Capability Development Centre (UASCDC). The first of its kind in the UK, the centre will have a hub at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, and will be fully operational by April 2013. The aim of the centre is to bring defence and industry experts together to avoid any duplication of efforts in this field.
The MoD wants to improve the efficiency of UAS procurement, and the centre is expected to support this aim by providing what it describes as a ‘corporate memory’ to help interested parties to identify existing expertise, knowledge and facilities.
QinetiQ UASCDC account director Fiona Lewinton said the two organisations were implementing a new approach to combine their existing expertise in air vehicle engineering, release-to-service, integration of command and control and communications systems, and safety. "This combined approach will allow new UAS capabilities to be brought to life more efficiently and effectively than before,” she said.