A Journey Shared LONG TERM PARTNERING AGREEMENT Contents It is now over a decade since the MOD Long Term Partnering Agreement Training in submarine escapes 5 (LTPA) was established with QinetiQ. The LTPA is now administered for the Taking part in Europe’s biggest military exercise – Joint Warrior 7 MOD by the Trials, Evaluation Services and Targets (TEST) Team in Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), and is available to DE&S Project Teams, Platform readiness and cross-site collaboration 9 the Armed Services and Defence industry. Glock pistols: thoroughly trialled and tested 11 Under the LTPA, QinetiQ manages 17 core MOD owned sites and is Supporting urgent combat air requirements 13 responsible for providing Test & Evaluation and training support services; Countering attack by fast in-shore craft 15 maintaining associated equipment, land and buildings; and for delivering an investment programme to ensure that the capability is maintained Sharing our amazing spaces 17 and developed to meet the MOD’s evolving needs. Transportable maritime ranges in the Gulf 19 Much has been achieved over this time, with the evaluation of a wide Keeping our range neighbours safe, aware and informed 21 variety of military capabilities to ensure their reliability and fitness for Assuring the next generation of People Who Know How 23 purpose. This has been delivered through technical excellence and, importantly, as the result of the relationship that exists between MOD and QinetiQ. The full extent of capabilities on offer through the LTPA is extensive; this booklet highlights some notable examples from the last few years. Time does not stand still and we will continue to shape the LTPA to meet future UK defence needs in the years to come. Cathy O’Carroll Gp Capt Andy Tait LTPA Director TEST Team Leader QinetiQ DE&S 2 3 LTPA A Journey Shared Training in submarine escapes Submarines are vital for security In 2003, in order to assess an escape In the first phase, members of the crew but operate in a challenging from a Logistics Escape Tower (LET), were ‘rescued’ by the Submarine Rescue runs were conducted from a Vanguard Vessel from the NATO Submarine Rescue environment. MOD must Class submarine on the Loch Goil System (NSRS) once it had mated to undertake real-world testing QinetiQ-managed MOD sea ranges. Astute’s Escape Towers. In the second of procedures and equipment These submarines are fitted with both phase, a team of Royal Navy escape in order to ensure crew safety. single-man towers forward and a LET in instructors conducted multiple escape the aft compartment that is capable of runs from the FET. Once on the surface, “Support and coordination allowing two crew to escape in one cycle they were recovered by a rigid hull and is large enough to permit the transfer inflatable boat (RHIB) and transferred for from the QinetiQ team was of stores in sub-sunk situations. medical assessment onto supporting vessels equipped with decompression facilities. professional in every way In 2012, several unmanned escape cycles during both of these demanding were performed from the Forward Escape In such training scenarios on LTPA ranges, exercises. I am pleased to say Tower (FET) to prove all systems were QinetiQ is responsible for overseeing correct ahead of 16 manned runs being planning and support. Furthermore, that everything went well and completed, including ‘last man out’ drills. we have a duty of care to protect all we received a comprehensive Haslar’s Maritime Life Support team was the people and the assets involved. demonstration of the Astute onboard HMS Astute to gather data as the Stakeholders are many and various so submarine conducted both escape and efficient communication and operational Class submarine’s rescue and rescue exercises in western Scotland. coordination is essential, both before escape capabilities.” and during trials, to ensure aims are Adrian Laming, Astute Class Escape successfully achieved and that safety and Rescue Requirement Owner is always top priority. At MOD Loch Goil, HMS Astute dived between the buoys to a steady tower depth of 30 metres to replicate a distressed submarine. 4 5 LTPA A Journey Shared Taking part in Europe’s biggest military exercise – Joint Warrior Controlled instrumented battle “Being able to base ourselves For QinetiQ, operating a number of core spaces provide realistic scenarios MOD test and evaluation (T&E) ranges at BUTEC and draw upon the in Scotland within the air and maritime for the test and evaluation of considerable resources you offer domains, Joint Warrior relies on our military personnel and equipment. is an immense advantage when resources to establish Forward Logistics Sites (FLS) in places such as the Kyle of The opportunity arises annually to establishing a busy Forward Lochalsh; in this instance, using BUTEC comprehensively test combat skills across Logistics Site.” (British Underwater Test & Evaluation all disciplines as part of a full maritime Centre) as a base for the coordination Captain R M Allen, Royal Navy, military exercise. This is Exercise Joint Director Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff of boat, helicopter and vehicle transfers Warrior, NATO and Europe’s largest such for both personnel and critical stores. military exercise, and it takes place over a large expanse of Scotland. A massive Joint Warrior is an essential training ground At MOD West Freugh and at the MOD endeavour, it draws in some 12,000 for personnel about to be deployed into Hebrides ranges, our site management personnel from the UK, the United States, theatre. Airborne infantry, artillery, engineers, capabilities come to the fore as we Canada and eight European partners in medics and logisticians develop readiness de-risk the equipment used in the a multi-threat environment. It is here for short-notice deployment anywhere in exercise. The Hebrides has a long that allied units can work and train in a the world. The exercise hones their skills, association with Joint Warrior and the replicated, volatile and complex situation enabling them to conduct the complete range large volume of airspace, which is the UK’s typically involving over 40 warships, 40 of military operations in preparation for a largest Air Danger Area, comes into its fixed-wing aircraft and 30 helicopters. possible Combined Joint Task. own for fast jet activity. The real time positional information on assets and the telemetry information for trial analysis captured here aids evaluation of the exercise. At Cape Wrath and Garvie Island, both locations owned by Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the scope of Joint Warrior is further extended with the wide variety of weapons-firing options available at this north-western outpost. Unique in Europe, the Garvie Island area used in Joint Warrior 2012 is the only place in the UK where live 1,000lb bombs can be dropped. Royal Navy personnel from the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) Copyright ©MOD Crown attach an underslung load to a Merlin helicopter during Exercise Scottish Lion in the South West of Scotland. Troops of the 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery load a 105mm Light Gun during Exercise Joint Warrior in Scotland. 7 ©MOD Crown Copyright ©MOD Crown LTPA A Journey Shared Platform readiness and cross-site collaboration Phased infrastructure At the beginning of the LTPA in In 2010, further LTPA investment improvements over the last 2003, the British Underwater Test resulted in pan-QinetiQ radar integration & Evaluation Centre, BUTEC, in the improvements. Electronic Warfare decade have meant many more Kyle of Lochalsh, was the range of choice Capability transferred to BUTEC from fully-optimised trials programmes for underwater weapon-tracking trials. Skipness in 2012; accelerated technological across Scottish LTPA ranges. This well established range offered and infrastructure developments promptly a byelaw-protected, secure and sanitised began to yield greater value from every “Execution of the plan went environment for trials. At that time, the customer visit to the range. Range Tracking System (RTS) offered only smoothly; this is in no small Sophisticated instrumented environments acoustic tracking and it was acknowledged for signature services soon became the part down to the combined that there was potential for much more. norm, as did cross-site collaboration. Upgrading began in earnest in 2005. flexibility and forethought Tracking of aircraft was now possible By 2009, adoption of open architecture demonstrated by all to through MOD Aberporth’s electro-optical solutions permitted standardised trackers and Funtington’s Groundlark ensure that individual serials development of controlled changes. Radar Cross Section and Sonobuoy happened at the required time test facility. with the right assets in place”. Effective integration led to system-based Lt Ed Notley, Tactical Systems Officer, HM Royal Navy testing and trialling becoming a reality. By ensuring that infrastructure investment was done at a strategic level across multiple MOD sites, increasingly complex and realistic trials and training could be undertaken. Platform utilisation grew to include electronic warfare calibration, radar cross-section, sonar testing and weapon firings. Additionally, at nearby Rona, in-water radiated noise measurement could be conducted, giving the platform the potential for 24-hour working. In ranges such as BUTEC, Rona and Applecross, infrastructure development continues to offer opportunities to augment programmes, deliver increasingly complex trials, and create realistic operational training settings. Andrew Groocock ©QinetiQ Groocock Andrew A mine countermeasures vessel hunting targets on the BUTEC range. Merlin Mk 1 from 829 Naval Air Squadron in the sights of the QinetiQ Electro-Optic Tracker after a successful Sting Ray drop on the BUTEC range. 9 Andrew Groocock ©QinetiQ Groocock Andrew LTPA A Journey Shared Glock pistols: thoroughly trialled and tested Following an in-depth endurance “This important acquisition and testing programme, the British programme was managed by Army’s latest side arm is now in QinetiQ through the LTPA. use by all three Armed Forces.