Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • QinetiQ awarded £15m Thundercloud contract

Defence

QinetiQ awarded £15m Thundercloud contract

QinetiQ has been awarded a £15 million contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to manage, maintain and update the classified military data management system, Thundercloud.

Image copyright Shutterstock

Thundercloud collates, analyses and distributes meteorological and oceanographic data at all security classifications for use by military forces through a secure network of systems, to land, sea and air operations anywhere in the world.

The data, services and products delivered by Thundercloud gives a heightened understanding of the environment, providing shared situational awareness across different military teams. This is a crucial advantage for naval, air force, and land-based teams who need secure, accurate, detailed geospatial information to fully exploit the environment or mitigate its impact on operations.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT

Thundercloud was developed in the 1980s by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and transitioned to QinetiQ management in 2001 where it has been run and maintained through several upgrade cycles. QinetiQ has retained the support contract to manage the capability through competitions in 2014 and 2019, with this latest round of competition seeing QinetiQ’s expertise called on for a further two years with a focus on Agile change delivery.

Demonstrating QinetiQ’s commitment to partnering with small and medium enterprises, Hampshire based technical managed services company, Thorn LTD, will provide a key role in engineering support, as well as other SMEs providing specialist technical support.

Advertisement
ODU RT

Commander Nick Davies, Joint Operational Meteorology and Oceanography Centre (JOMOC), said: “We are very pleased to award this ongoing contract to the QinetiQ team who have ably supported us for 24 years already, working collaboratively with us on what’s needed to deliver this key capability now and for the future. QinetiQ has worked as a partner to us to get the best from the system in the past, frequently going above and beyond to give us a reliable, best of breed solution and I’m looking forward to continuing that over the next two years.”

James Willis, Chief Executive, UK Intelligence, QinetiQ, said: “QinetiQ is proud to apply its expertise in cyber, data and electromagnetics to ensure this critical capability continues to provide its vital service to our military forces around the world.”

Advertisement
PTC PTC
Royal Navy establishes autonomous minesweeping capability

Defence

Royal Navy establishes autonomous minesweeping capability

4 July 2025

The Royal Navy has - for the first time - established an autonomous minesweeping capability, after new systems were delivered to help combat the rapidly evolving threat of naval mines.

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

Aerospace Defence Security Space

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

4 July 2025

Serco has appointed Keith Williams to the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair designate.

BAE Systems to continue developing AFRL

Defence

BAE Systems to continue developing AFRL's BATDOK

4 July 2025

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has selected BAE Systems to continue development and support deployment of the Battlefield Assisted Trauma Distributed Operations Kit (BATDOK) via the new Force Optimization through Rapid-prototyping, Gear Enhancements & Innovative Technology (FORGE-IT) programme.

Boeing appoints Stephen Parker as CEO of BDS

Defence Security Space

Boeing appoints Stephen Parker as CEO of BDS

3 July 2025

Boeing has appointed Stephen (Steve) Parker as president and chief executive officer of its Defense, Space & Security (BDS) business, effective immediately.

Advertisement
ODU RT
Lancashire aims at advancing cyber-enabled defence and security

Defence Security Events

Lancashire aims at advancing cyber-enabled defence and security

3 July 2025

Over 200 senior business leaders, investors, policymakers and academics from across the UK gathered this week at the Lancashire Cyber Festival to discuss Lancashire’s opportunity to become a global leader in cyber-enabled defence and security.

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

Aerospace Defence Security

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

3 July 2025

Airframe Designs has aligned its material systems with the US National Centre for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) which works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry partners to support its existing testing processes.

Advertisement
Leonardo RT