Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Business Insider
The UK's building a 'silent hangar' to put weapons like F-35 stealth fighters, transport helicopters, and more through the 'harshest' electronic warfare attacks
By Jake Epstein,
4 hours ago
F-35B Lightning jets conduct take-offs and landings to maintain their carrier qualifications on the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales.
UK Ministry of Defense photo
The UK is building a "silent hangar" to test how military assets fare against electronic warfare.
The experimental facility will be big enough to host fighter jets, helicopters, and drones.
The new facility will help the UK get a better sense of the vulnerabilities in its equipment.
Britain's defense ministry is building a massive experimental facility to better understand how it can protect military aircraft against GPS jamming and other threats as the war in Ukraine shows the danger of electronic warfare.
The new defense testing facility — expected to be one of the largest in Europe and resemble a large aircraft hanger in size — will simulate hostile environments and test some of the UK's most advanced military equipment, Britain's defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ministry said it will be big enough to fit F-35 stealth fighter jets, Chinook transport helicopters, and Protector combat drones.
"Hostile threats jamming GPS to disorientate military equipment has become increasingly common," Maria Eagle, the UK's minister for defense procurement and industry, said.
"This cutting-edge test facility will help us eliminate vulnerabilities from our platforms, protect our national security and keep our Armed Forces better protected on global deployments," she added in a statement.
Royal Air Force Chinooks fly over farmland during transit.
UK Ministry of Defense photo
Electronic warfare has been a prominent element of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with both sides using jamming and other digital interference tactics to mess with the targeting process of precision strike weapons like attack drones and guided munitions.
NATO countries — including the US and UK — have been watching the electronic warfare trends and adaptations in Ukraine and are making their own force posture adjustments to be ready for a future fight.
For the UK, this includes the newly announced experimental facility.
Britain's defense ministry said that the "silent hangar" will reduce the emission of radio-frequency waves. GPS simulators inside the chamber will allow the UK to test how well equipment can withstand jamming or other disruptive threats.
A Royal Air Force Protector MQ-9B drone.
UK Ministry of Defense photo
"The facility will provide a key capability to develop UK assets that can perform in the harshest electromagnetic environments on operations," the defense ministry said. Since the hangar is isolated, the tests won't impact emergency services or air traffic control, it added.
UK firm QinetiQ will build the facility under a £20 million ($26 million) contract. It is set to open in 2026.
"On an increasingly digital battlefield, the debilitating effects of electronic warfare are a persistent threat," said Will Blamey, the chief executive of UK defense at QinetiQ, said.
"The testing we will conduct using this new facility will be integral to strengthening the resilience of military equipment, which in turn enhances the safety and security of our Armed Forces and the United Kingdom," he added in a statement.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0