The British government has awarded QinetiQ a contract to build a radio frequency anti-jamming test facility. The facility would be used to develop solutions that would help the armed forces operate in GPS-denied environments.
“[The] 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,” said Maria Eagle, the minister for defense procurement, noting that GPS jamming threats have been increasing in number in recent years.
According to a press release from the U.K. Ministry of Defence, the so-called “silent hangar” will reproduce a space where the military can test its equipment’s ability to remain operational in an electromagnetic environment.
The facility, to be located in Wiltshire, England, is slated to open in 2026. It will be able to host a wide range of military equipment, including Chinook helicopters, F-35 fighter jets and Protector drones.
The construction of the test facility follows news in recent months of the Royal Air Force plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps that lost its GPS signal while flying between the United Kingdom and Poland.
Estonia and Lithuania also disclosed a similar experience in May when the Baltic region’s air traffic navigation encountered interference that they said was the result of a Russian jamming operation.