20 April 2021

QinetiQ to expand ETPS helicopter fleet

by Gareth Jennings

QinetiQ is to expand the helicopter fleet of the UK Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) as part of a wider three-year investment in the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Boscombe Down facility in southwest England that the company puts at being well in excess of GBP100 million (USD140 million).

An artist’s impression of the Leonardo AW139 that QinetiQ is acquiring along with two Agusta A109S Grand helicopters for the ETPS at Boscombe Down. (QinetiQ)

Announced on 19 April, the three new helicopters comprise one Leonardo AW139 and two Agusta A109S Grands. All three platforms are due to be operational in the third quarter of this year, at which time they will join the current ETPS rotary-winged inventory that comprises four Airbus H125s, two A109Es, and one Bell 412. The school also operates one Bell 205 and 412 in collaboration with the National Research Council (NRC) Canada.

“The latest expansion to the QinetiQ fleet takes the investment in new training, test, and evaluation capabilities to well over GBP100 million over the past three years and, significantly, will provide unprecedented operational capacity and service capabilities for QinetiQ’s customers training at ETPS or in delivery of test and evaluation projects,” the company said, adding that every airframe in the QinetiQ fleet based at MOD Boscombe Down will also benefit from additional enhancements including comprehensive Flight Test Instrumentation suites.

According to QinetiQ, the new helicopters will be used for both military and civil instruction. “They will also offer considerable benefits for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and form a key part of QinetiQ’s one stop shop for Aviation Special Mission Services through the Aircraft Engineering Centre (AEC) and the QinetiQ Civil Flying Organisation (QCFO) capabilities.”

QinetiQ is to expand the helicopter fleet of the UK Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) as part of a wi...

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