Nick Everett, Senior Programme Manager
In a fast paced and unusual project, QinetiQ’s Weapons teams pulled out all the stops to create a demonstration environment for our customer,MBDA. Using our Long Term Partnering Agreement with the MOD, and QinetiQ capabilities, we enabled MBDA to showcase their new Brimstone Sea Spear weapons system to prospective clients and achieve a world first. Attack by Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) is a growing threat to naval ships and dockyard facilities around the world. MBDA is developing a surface launch weapon capable of intercepting FIACs and required a live demonstration, within a realistic scenario, to a specially invited audience of potential clients. The MOD West Freugh range we operate in Scotland was the only suitable site where we could safely fire the Brimstone Sea Spear surface attack weapon against a group of target vessels.
Sea Spear
We had to overcome a number of challenges, from building an off-shore launch platform, to safely transporting live weapons, and capturing the full flight of every missile. We renovated a building at the site to create a brand new customer suite for MBDA, including a live trials display, meeting rooms, and Wi-Fi. Equipment was transported to the site to complement the West Freugh range capability, and a willing team of employees from other QinetiQ sites supported the trial. All of this was done at extremely high speed to meet MBDA’s challenging timetable, and we worked closely with MBDA, taking every opportunity to jointly develop solutions and conduct joint safety reviews. The success of the trial is testament to the agility and ingenuity of the teams involved, and it achieved excellent customer feedback.
Watch the film to see how we did it.