Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • QinetiQ delivers counter drone training to Royal Navy

Defence Events

QinetiQ delivers counter drone training to Royal Navy

QinetiQ recently delivered live and virtual operational training for the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group and NATO allies as part of Exercise Med Strike.

Image courtesy QinetiQ

The aim of the seven-day long exercise, which took place off the East coast of Sicily, was to prepare the Carrier Strike Group in air defence and for carrier integration between NATO allies.

QinetiQ designed and delivered scenario-based threat representation serials that included the launch of 16 uncrewed Banshee Whirlwind aerial targets (above) from support ship, SD Northern River. Teams from Inzpire, a QinetiQ company, also injected hundreds of synthetic threats into the Carrier Strike Group Command and Control picture, to add further complexity to the training events.

Advertisement
Teledyne

Simon Galt, Managing Director Air of QinetiQ’s UK Defence Sector said: “As nations look to increase their readiness to defend against escalating drone threats, we’re able to draw upon our expertise in threat representation, to prepare crews for complex missions. 

"The successful execution of the Med Strike serials allowed the Strike Group to train against representative threats, putting its air defence capabilities to the test in an operational environment. This important work builds on the support we provided to the Royal Navy at the Sharpshooter exercise in April, demonstrating our role as a trusted, long-term Test, Trials, Training and Evaluation partner for the UK and its allies.”

Captain Hugh Harris, Royal Navy said: “The role of the Royal Navy’s Joint Training and Exercise Planning Staff is to deliver complex and realistic maritime warfare training to UK and Allied forces. This collaboration with QinetiQ and Inzpire has proved our ability to deploy contemporary live threat simulations outside of UK waters for the first time. This is a big step forward in terms of quality, relevant and flexible training delivery. It prepares our people and proves our equipment far more comprehensively than was previously possible.”

Advertisement
Teledyne

Med Strike took place at the same time as QinetiQ was supporting Formidable Shield off the coast of Scotland and follows the recent Sharpshooter exercise held in April.

The training delivered as part of Med Strike was in collaboration with the Joint Training Exercise and Planning Staff (JTEPS), part of the Navy’s Fleet Operational Standards & Training (FOST) team. The Carrier Strike Group was made up of a number of Royal Navy ships, including HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Dauntless and HMS Richmond, as well as the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour and surface and aerial platforms from Denmark, France, Norway, Spain and the US.

Advertisement
Cranfield University
HMG Paints returns to DSEI with advanced defence coatings

Defence Events

HMG Paints returns to DSEI with advanced defence coatings

30 July 2025

Independent UK paint manufacturer, HMG Paints, will be returning to DSEI UK (Defence and Security Equipment International) 2025, taking place from 9th to 12th September 2025, at ExCeL London, to highlight the latest advancements in defence coatings.

Clear B2B appoints Allyson Higgins as Managing Director

Defence

Clear B2B appoints Allyson Higgins as Managing Director

29 July 2025

PR and marketing agency, Clear B2B, has announced the appointment of Allyson Higgins as its new Managing Director, marking the start of a new growth chapter for the agency.

UK high-altitude ISR balloon soars to new heights

Defence

UK high-altitude ISR balloon soars to new heights

29 July 2025

The UK has successfully trialed uncrewed high-altitude balloons which can conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, spearheaded by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S).

CCL launches CCL Protect

Defence

CCL launches CCL Protect

29 July 2025

Digital forensics and cyber specialist CCL Solutions Group has today announced the launch of CCL Protect, a subscription-based cyber security service designed to give SMEs and fast-growing businesses access to enterprise-grade protection without the complexity or cost of building it in-house.

Advertisement
ODU RT
Base Materials gains full DNV type approval

Defence Security

Base Materials gains full DNV type approval

29 July 2025

Base Materials has become the first syntactic foam subsea buoyancy materials manufacturer to achieve full DNV type approval (TAC) across its entire portfolio of Subtec buoyancy materials.

BISim

Defence

BISim's VBS4 selected for US Army GFT

29 July 2025

Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, Inc., has announced that the US Army has completed a contract modification to begin upgraded deployment of Virtual Battlespace 4 (VBS4) as part of its ongoing Games for Training (GFT) programme.

Advertisement
DSEI 2025