QinetiQ has announced a five-year, £205 million contract extension with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to continue delivering mission-critical engineering services for the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon aircraft. The multi-year programme will accelerate vital engineering outputs to maintain Typhoon capability and pilot safety, utilizing next-generation AI and digital engineering to reduce both the time and cost of getting Typhoons airworthy and mission-ready while preserving front-line capability.
The deal will sustain 250 highly skilled jobs across the UK, including within small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and will provide foundational technical support to both UK armed forces and export customers. QinetiQ is investing £10 million to embed new digital and AI technology, building on an existing partnership with UK-based AI SMEs. This investment aims to augment high-value engineering skills and significantly increase productivity, aligning with the government’s Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy. Beyond Typhoon, QinetiQ has committed to further invest in applying AI at scale across all engineering services it delivers for the UK MOD.
The agreement will be delivered by the recently strengthened QinetiQ-led Aurora Engineering Delivery Partnership (EDP), through which QinetiQ, Atkins, BMT, Frazer-Nash, KBR, and over 380 other companies provide the MOD with high-value engineering services.
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, noted that the Typhoon fleet is crucial for UK security and that continued investment—including last year’s £8 billion Typhoon export deal with Türkiye—demonstrates how defence supports national prosperity. Steve Wadey, Group CEO of QinetiQ, stated that the contract reflects a commitment to the government’s defence-as-growth agenda, backing UK businesses, modernizing delivery, and ensuring armed forces operational readiness through cutting-edge technology.
