QinetiQ to drive innovation at its vehicle testing ground

QinetiQ and digital mobility technology company AVL have announced a strategic partnership to use digital twinning to increase the pace and reduce the cost of bringing new defence and commercial vehicles into operation.

Chief Executive Officer for QinetiQ’s UK Defence sector, Will Blamey, today signed a memorandum of understanding with AVL’s Managing Director, Tom Stone, securing the partnership that will deliver a new digital and real-world testing and evaluation offer at Hurn Proving Ground in the New Forest.

The move signals QinetiQ’s wider ambition to transform how customers access and use UK test and evaluation capabilities.

Blamey said: “This new virtual offering will enable our customers to develop and test new capabilities more quickly, before being put through their final paces at our specialised test facility. The combined evidence from digital and live environments will bring greater insight and value for money, enabling issues to be identified earlier and better-informed decisions to be taken.”

How virtual and real-world engineering will transform development and procurement processes

AVL will provide advanced vehicle modelling and simulation, as well as producing a ‘digital twin’ of Hurn. Vehicles can be virtually tested and the results rapidly analysed during the design or down-selection process, rather than waiting for vehicles to be fully built.

This will reduce production costs and speed up the development process, with vehicles then put through their physical paces over Hurn’s challenging terrains, test tracks, and on the UK’s largest tilt platform.

Photo: QinetiQ

Not only will the companies’ combined engineering approach speed up the procurement process, it will also support vehicles’ lifecycle management to maximise value throughout their operational life.

Tom Stone, Managing Director, AVL Powertrain UK Ltd, said: “We are incredibly proud to have formed a strategic partnership with QinetiQ and we are excited to see how our combined digital engineering approach can advance the development of future defence vehicles through faster design maturity, lifecycle optimisation and reduced physical testing costs.”

Hurn Proving Ground, near Ringwood, is home to 632-acres of vehicle test and evaluation facilities. Capable of multi-vehicle assessments, the site represents different environments from battlefield to emergency and rescue. Originally constructed in the 1950s, the site has been extensively developed over the years, allowing customers to test and evaluate vehicle performance across a range of terrain types.