Project Safari: New Testing Initiative Accelerates Defence Tech Delivery for SMEs

• MOD and QinetiQ collaborate to streamline SME access to Test and Evaluation infrastructure, speeding up the delivery of new technology into service

• Project Safari removes obstacles to UK sites, accelerating the transition of new capabilities from development to active deployment

• Aligns with the Strategic Defence Review commitment to increase SME spending by an additional £2.5 billion per year by 2028

Advancements such as hypersonic missiles, directed energy weapons, and autonomous systems will now be assessed, refined, and delivered at unprecedented speeds. This follows a joint Ministry of Defence (MOD) and QinetiQ initiative transforming how defence capabilities are tested and evaluated to match the tempo of modern warfare.

Project Safari will overhaul access to the UK’s sovereign Test and Evaluation (T&E) facilities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), establishing an agile environment to validate and deploy new technologies more rapidly.

Historically, firms—particularly SMEs and new defence entrants—have encountered significant hurdles preventing their innovations from being tested in realistic scenarios. These obstacles often stem from cumbersome bureaucracy requiring multiple layers of approval.

This programme eliminates access barriers to UK sites by offering a single point of entry for SMEs. By improving approval processes for trial activity, this streamlined pathway encourages innovative firms to enter the sector, fostering jobs and investment in local economies across the country.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said: 

We know that limited access to test and evaluation facilities have been holding back smaller businesses and new entrants from working with defence.

By working hand-in-hand with QinetiQ, we are unlocking British innovation by developing, testing and delivering military capabilities for the UK and our allies at speed.

Group CEO QinetiQ, Steve Wadey, said: 

Turning ideas into trusted frontline capability faster than our adversaries is what delivers military advantage and we’ve got to go faster to stay ahead. Project Safari will transform how the UK approves new technologies, creating a world-leading test and evaluation enterprise that helps government, industry and regulators work together to accelerate the delivery of military capability at the pace demanded by modern warfare.

Project Safari unites government, industry, regulators, and technology innovators to bolster the UK’s warfighting readiness. It aims to simplify how companies access specialist facilities and expertise, modernise infrastructure for a fast-moving digital landscape, and cut unnecessary red tape to accelerate decision-making.

During a visit to MOD Hebrides, the UK’s largest weapons test range, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, signed an agreement with QinetiQ for the initial design stage of a multimillion-pound investment to upgrade the site for hypersonic missile and advanced technology testing.

Pollard was joined by QinetiQ CEO, Steve Wadey, for a roundtable with SME representatives, including Greenjets and Cambridge Aerospace, to hear first-hand about the challenges smaller businesses face when accessing T&E services.

Pollard also met MGI Engineering, an Oxfordshire-based SME competing in Project Brakestop. The company is developing affordable, long-range weapons for Ukraine.

Project Safari puts into practice the ambitions outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, which committed defence to raising its expenditure with SMEs by £2.5 billion annually by summer 2028.

This announcement extends the work of the Defence Investment Plan, supported by £298 billion in UK defence funding over the next four years. The plan ensures sustained investment across British industry, including SMEs, cementing the defence sector’s role as a cornerstone of the nation’s economic renewal.

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