QinetiQ, along with its Aurora Partners Atkins and BMT, have been awarded a £31 million EDP contract to provide technical support to the UK MOD’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Enterprise and the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Catalyst delivery team, which is responsible for delivering the latest combat air capabilities to UK frontline commands.
One of QinetiQ’s primary tasks will be supporting the delivery of the Future Combat Air System which will result in a new advanced combat aircraft replacing the Typhoon from the mid-2030s.
FCAS is one of the major capabilities which the Catalyst Delivery Team has contracted as part of this wider programme which also includes support to un-crewed systems and digital engineering capability development.
Together, these will enable DE&S to deliver the necessary engineering outputs required by the MOD to support the development of future FCAS capabilities as they are acquired and brought into service.
QinetiQ will provide a range of support to Catalyst, using its digital engineering capabilities and vast experience in requirements management.
This will include engineering support initially focussing on Human Performance, Safety and Systems Engineering disciplines through to August 2025.
As the Catalyst programme grows, EDP provides a strong platform to support emerging requirements for years to come.
Delivered through the Engineering Delivery Partner (EDP), this work will be supported by its EDP Aurora Partners Atkins and BMT along with a number of provider network organisations.
It will also utilise Requirements Management expertise provided by QinetiQ’s subsidiary business, Inzpire.
Nic Anderson, Chief Executive UK Defence, QinetiQ remarked, “The Aurora Engineering Partnership with the UK MOD and DE&S continues to go from strength to strength, providing technical support to the most complex acquisition programmes.
“Our work with Catalyst DT will help accelerate new ways of working using digital engineering methodologies in supporting the next generation of combat air platforms.”
Robert Galvin, Head of Business Development Air Engineering Services, QinetiQ said, “This contract will put QinetiQ and our EDP Partners in Aurora at the heart of key new combat air capabilities for the UK MOD in the years to come, and help DE&S bring the significant engineering capabilities of EDP and the wider provider network to support the FCAS programme.”
The contract win follows a successful initial FCAS contract delivered over the previous two years and promises to open up new opportunities to QinetiQ’s Early Careers community of new graduates, apprentices and younger employees.
It will also support the introduction of new technologies and delivery approaches for the next generation of aircraft Test & Evaluation.
image © UK MOD Crown copyright 2021
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Post written by: Matt Brown
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