The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded QinetiQ a GBP 20 million (EUR 23.5 million) contract to build a radio frequency anti-jamming test facility at its Boscombe Down site in Wiltshire, the MoD announced on 21 August 2024.
The new ‘silent hangar’ will provide a key capability to develop UK assets that can still operate effectively in the harshest electromagnetic environments. It will be large enough to accommodate some of the biggest military assets, including Protector unmanned aerial vehicles, Chinook helicopters, and F-35 fighters – a far greater capacity than existing UK facilities.
Due to open in 2026, the anechoic hangar will create the perfect environment to test the integrity of the UK’s military equipment. It will also prevent the testing from affecting outside entities, such as the emergency services and air traffic control authorities.
Roughly the size of an aircraft hangar, the new facility will be one of the largest in Europe. It will reduce reflections, echoes or the escape of radio-frequency waves, while the GPS simulators and threat emulators inside the chamber will provide the ability for UK technicians to create a number of hostile environments to test how well equipment can withstand jamming, and other threats, that attempt to confuse or disrupt military operations.
“Hostile threats jamming GPS to disorientate military equipment has become increasingly common,” UK Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle was quoted as saying by the MoD. “This cutting-edge test facility will help us eliminate vulnerabilities from our platforms, protect our national security and keep our armed forces better protected on global deployments.”
Richard Bloomfield, head of electronic warfare, CBRN and space at the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support organisation, stated, “The subject of GPS jamming has been well documented in the press, making this new facility all the more vital to help us keep our armed forces safe while protecting the nation and our allies.
“Not only will this be one of the largest such chambers in Europe,” Bloomfield added, “but it will also be one of the most up to date and high-tech in the world, where hostile environments can be safely recreated to put military equipment, such as fighter jets and drones, through testing to understand their performance in challenging environments representing the many external threats that may be faced.”
