QinetiQ celebrates 75th anniversary of test and evaluation at MoD Aberporth
Marking the anniversary, the festivities included a BBQ, stalls and fairground attractions and culminated with the unveiling of a ceremonial plaque. Today, MoD Aberporth is operated and managed by QinetiQ and employs around 200 people in various specialised roles, from engineers to surveyors to in-flight safety officers. It provides a safe and secure environment for the testing of air launched weapons and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), as well as for training armed forces.
The range is an important part of the local community providing local employment, including apprenticeship training to provide high-quality skills needed to operate the range. This has always been an important role for the site, starting in 1940. Today, QinetiQ has continued that tradition by founding and leading The 5% Club, a nationwide campaign urging companies across the UK to commit to 5% of their workforce being apprentices, graduates or sponsored students on a formalised training programme within five years.
Weapons Operations Director, Graeme Morrison, who unveiled the ceremonial plaque, said: “I am delighted to commemorate 75 years of MoD Aberporth Range and to mark the occasion with this plaque and celebratory day for employees. It is through the hard work and dedication of all employees through the years that MOD Aberporth has a reputation for excellence at the forefront of test and evaluation of complex weapons.”
The Aberporth range was first opened in 1939 for gunnery practice by the Honourable Artillery Company and was soon joined by the Projectile Development Establishment, laying the foundations for the next 75 years of research, development, testing and evaluation for the UK Ministry of Defence.
After the 2nd World War, MoD Aberporth became an outstation of the Farnborough Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) with the first guided firing of an anti-aircraft projectile in 1948. The Range went on to be at the forefront of projectile development with many firsts taking place there, including a first firing of a SeaSlug from a ship in 1957 and the first firing of an Exocet missile in 1975. The 1990s saw a period of transition through various defence agencies with QinetiQ now operating the Range on behalf of the MoD.
