As Boeing conducts a series of upgrades to its Chinook helicopter platform, QinetiQ has signed a £5.2 million contract with the Ministry of Defence to provide independent technical evaluation and advice to the Department’s Chinook Project Team. QinetiQ will work with Boeing and specialist frontline units throughout ground and flight tests of the modified aircraft.

The MOD has a requirement to upgrade the RAF Chinook Mk3 by retrofitting the JULIUS Cockpit Display System / Mission Avionic System and a Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS), as well as upgrading the RAF Chinook Mk4/4A by retrofitting a DAFCS.

QinetiQ’s work will be delivered through the Air Test & Evaluation Centre (ATEC) at MOD Boscombe Down. ATEC is a partnership between QinetiQ and the Air Warfare Centre (AWC), founded in 2001. It combines QinetiQ’s world-class flight test and engineering capability and AWC’s frontline expertise to provide the MOD with operationally focused, independent test and evaluation for the next generation of military aircraft.

Gaz Borland, Managing Director for QinetiQ’s Air business, said: “This contract demonstrates the way in which we collaborate with the MOD and industry, combining knowledge to de-risk complex programmes and ensure they are delivered in a cost-effective way. The independent recommendations we make through our test and evaluation services enable crucial operational decisions to be made with confidence. Working with key industry suppliers such as Boeing to provide the best service to our customers is fundamental to the way that we work.”