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Britain is building a “silent hangar” to test how military installations will hold up against electronic warfare.
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The test facility will be large enough to accommodate fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
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The new facility will help the UK better identify the vulnerabilities in its equipment.
With the war in Ukraine highlighting the dangers of electronic warfare, the UK Ministry of Defence is building a massive test facility to better understand how to protect military aircraft from GPS jamming and other threats.
The new defence testing facility – expected to be one of the largest in Europe and similar in size to a large aircraft hangar – will simulate hostile environments and test some of Britain’s most advanced military equipment, the UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ministry said it will be large enough to accommodate F-35 stealth fighter jets, Chinook transport helicopters and Protector combat drones.
“Hostile threats of jamming GPS systems to disorient military equipment are becoming increasingly common,” said Maria Eagle, UK Secretary of State for Defence Procurement and Industry.
“This state-of-the-art test facility will help us eliminate vulnerabilities in our platforms, protect our national security and better protect our forces during operations around the world,” she added in a statement.
Electronic warfare was a key element of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, with both sides using jamming and other digital intrusion tactics to disrupt the targeting process of precision weapons such as attack drones and guided munitions.
The extensive use of these capabilities on the battlefield is forcing both Russia and Ukraine to look for innovative solutions to enhance their electronic warfare capabilities and develop various countermeasures to stay ahead.
NATO countries – including the United States and the United Kingdom – are monitoring electronic warfare trends and adjustments in Ukraine and are currently making adjustments to their own armed forces to be prepared for future combat operations.
For Great Britain, this also includes the newly announced pilot plant.
The UK Ministry of Defence said the “silent hangar” will reduce the emission of radio waves. GPS simulators in the chamber will allow the UK to test how well the equipment can withstand jamming or other threats.
“The facility will provide a key capability for the development of UK assets that can operate in the harshest electromagnetic environments,” the Ministry of Defence said. As the hangar is isolated, the tests will have no impact on emergency services or air traffic control, it added.
British company QinetiQ will build the facility under a £20 million ($26 million) contract, with opening scheduled for 2026.
“On an increasingly digitalised battlefield, the crippling effects of electronic warfare are a constant threat,” said Will Blamey, managing director of UK defence company QinetiQ.
“The testing we will conduct at this new facility will be essential in strengthening the resilience of military equipment, which in turn will increase the security of our armed forces and the United Kingdom,” he added in a statement.
Read the original article on Business Insider
