QinetiQ

What QinetiQ does

QinetiQ Group plc is a UK-headquartered, London Stock Exchange-listed (LON:QQ) defence and security technology company that originated as a 2001 spin-off from the UK Ministry of Defence. It provides mission-critical solutions across land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains for allied government defence customers, anchored by a Long-Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) that gives it exclusive operation of world-class UK test and evaluation facilities including MOD Boscombe Down, MOD Aberporth, MOD Hebrides, the Haslar Ocean Basin, and the Empire Test Pilots' School. The company operates 50 locations with 7,500+ employees and serves 40+ countries through wholly-owned subsidiaries in the US, Canada, Australia, and Germany.

The product and technology portfolio spans four pillars: Test and Training (facility-based evaluation and threat representation systems such as Banshee, Hammerhead USV, and Phoenix Jet); Mission Support and Operations (C4ISTAR, cyber and electromagnetic activities, mission data, TARS persistent surveillance); Research and Development (DragonFire high-energy laser directed energy weapon with MBDA/Leonardo, Q-INS quantum inertial navigation, Q-TRED thermal event detection, autonomous systems, advanced materials including 3D-printed recycled titanium, and T6 ion thrusters used on the BepiColombo mission); and Engineering Services (Typhoon support, submarine additive manufacturing, mission data, and Aurora partnership work). Notable recent technology milestones include DragonFire's planned 2027 deployment on Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers and the first flight of an aircraft component 3D-printed from recycled titanium.

The business model combines multi-year, government-defence service contracts (LTPA, £205m Typhoon engineering, £25m Royal Navy training, £316m DragonFire/MBDA), hardware sales (unmanned target systems, lightweight armour, hyperspectral sensors, directed energy components), and IP licensing to commercial partners (e.g., Q-TRED to Soteria, Gelion battery validation). Revenue visibility is supported by a £4.3–5bn order backlog and an £11bn qualified pipeline, with FY26 guidance of ~3% organic growth, ~11% operating margin, 15–20% EPS growth, ~90% cash conversion, and ~£150m free cash flow. International expansion is driven by acquisition (notably the £483m/$590m Avantus Federal deal in 2022) and sovereign capability exports such as the Belgian JEWSC.

Name

QinetiQ

Legal name

QinetiQ Group plc

Website

https://qinetiq.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

QinetiQ is a UK-listed defence and security technology company serving allied governments, with exclusive operation of UK Ministry of Defence test facilities under the LTPA and a portfolio spanning directed energy weapons, quantum navigation, autonomous systems, and threat representation across 50 locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense and Security Technology Services

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Power Supplies, RF/Microwave Components & Ruggedized Electronics (IMABAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Electronics for Weapons (IMABAGAH), Quantum-Safe Hardware & Embedded Security (TPM/secure elements/firmware) (HDAGAGAJ), Security Diplomacy & Defense Cooperation (Arms Control, Counterterrorism) (BPAIAIAH), IT Risk Management (ITRM) (HDADAIAD)

Keywords

• Defense technology services
• Military test and evaluation
• Threat representation systems
• Directed energy weapons
• Mission support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardigan

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Defence and Security Government Services: Long-term service contracts with UK Ministry of Defence and allied government defence customers providing test and evaluation, training, mission support, and engineering services. Revenue supported by ~£4.3bn order backlog providing strong future revenue visibility.
2. Directed Energy Weapons and Defence Products: Development and production of DragonFire laser directed energy weapon systems for Royal Navy, including integration and testing services. £67m contract awarded by MBDA for laser source development.
3. Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary technologies such as Q-TRED thermal event detection technology to third parties (e.g., Soteria Battery Innovation Group) for battery safety applications in EVs, energy storage, and aerospace.
4. Unmanned Systems and Target Systems: Supply of tracked unmanned ground vehicles and target systems (Banshee, Hammerhead USV) to defence customers globally. March 2025 contract: 24 tracked UGVs to US National Defense Logistics Agency for $18.6m.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

QinetiQ is an international defence and security company that provides technology-based services and solutions across test and evaluation, threat representation, training and mission rehearsal, mission support and operations (C4ISTAR, cyber, intelligence, mission data), and research and development (directed energy, autonomous systems, quantum technology, advanced materials). It sells both government defence services delivered through long-term contracts and proprietary defence hardware products such as the DragonFire laser weapon, target systems (Banshee, Hammerhead, Phoenix Jet), TARS persistent surveillance, LAST Armor, and SPECTRE hyperspectral sensors, plus licensed technologies such as Q-TRED battery thermal detection.

Product overview

QinetiQ is a defense and security technology company offering an integrated portfolio of products and services across four core areas: Test and Training (including ETPS, threat representation systems like Banshee and Hammerhead, and test facilities), Mission Support and Operations (C4ISTAR, cyber and intelligence, mission data, persistent surveillance with TARS), Research and Development (directed energy systems including DragonFire laser, autonomous systems, quantum technology), and Engineering Services. Key products include the DragonFire naval laser weapon system, Q-TRED battery thermal detection technology, and various unmanned target systems. The company operates world-class test facilities under Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) with UK MOD and provides training services globally through Empire Test Pilots' School. QinetiQ also develops advanced materials including 3D printed titanium components and offers quantum navigation solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QinetiQ Target Systems: Uncrewed and crewed threat representation systems for defense training including Banshee, Hammerhead, and Rattler target systems.
• Inzpire
• DragonFire

Products and services

• Test and Evaluation Services World-class facilities and technical expertise supporting the testing, evaluation and training of defence systems and personnel across air, land, maritime and weapons domains. Used by UK MOD and allied defence customers under long-term framework agreements.
• Threat Representation Services Integrated crewed, uncrewed and virtual threat representation services delivering adversarial scenarios for operational readiness training to allied defence customers globally.
• Cyber and Intelligence Services Cyber security, electromagnetic activities and intelligence services for defence and national security customers, including secure solutions and mission data exploitation.
• Mission Data Services Mission data collection, processing and exploitation services for electromagnetic warfare, accelerated solution and decision support, analytics, and data intelligence.
• C4ISTAR Services Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance services and solutions for defence operations.
• Training and Simulation Synthetic training environments and simulated mission rehearsal services for military personnel across multiple domains, including virtual training delivered via platforms such as the Royal Navy MCAST contract.
• Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) Military test pilot training school operated by QinetiQ at MOD Boscombe Down, providing advanced flight test training to international military personnel, including a 2026 agreement with the Republic of Korea Air Force.
• DragonFire Directed Energy Weapon High-energy laser directed energy weapon system developed in partnership with MBDA UK and Leonardo for naval air defence against drones, missiles and aircraft, with pinpoint accuracy at approximately £10 per shot.
• TARS (Tethered Aerostat Radar System) Persistent aerial surveillance system using tethered aerostat radar for defence and security operations.
• Banshee Target System Airborne target system providing realistic threat representation for air-to-air and surface-to-air weapons training and evaluation.
• Hammerhead USV Uncrewed surface vehicle targets for maritime training exercises, simulating realistic sea threats for naval weapons testing.
• Phoenix Jet Uncrewed Aerial Target Uncrewed aerial target system for advanced threat representation in military training exercises.
• ShotOver Camera System Camera and mission system for aircraft platforms that streams high-resolution video to ground stations in real time during ISR operations.
• LAST Armor (Lightweight Aircraft Armor) Next-generation ballistic protection system offering up to 50% weight savings with modular field-replaceable design for military fixed-wing aircraft.
• SPECTRE Hyperspectral Sensors Hyperspectral sensor systems for defence and security applications, supplied to U.S. military customers.
• Autonomous Systems (Robotics and Uncrewed) Research, development and delivery of robotics and uncrewed systems for defence applications, including tactical mission planning software for autonomous ground and air systems.
• Quantum Technology (Q-INS) Quantum sensing and navigation technology research including the Quantum Inertial Navigation System (Q-INS) for resilient, GPS-denied positioning and timing.
• Q-TRED Thermal Event Detection Technology Thermal event detection technology using cell-level coatings that emit detectable volatile compounds before thermal runaway, licensed to commercial partners for battery safety applications in EVs, energy storage systems and aerospace.
• eLoran (enhanced Long-Range Navigation) Enhanced long-range navigation system developed with Team Elaris as a satellite navigation alternative for resilient positioning and timing.

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK and Belgian Governments (Project SOCIETAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Five-year agreement to establish a sovereign Joint Electromagnetic Warfare Support Centre (JEWSC) in Belgium, providing Belgium with long-term, sovereign electromagnetic warfare capability. QinetiQ exports mission data expertise as industry lead for the UK government-industry partnership Project SOCIETAS, with multi-million pound programme value over five years.
• US Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in US Army's Human-Machine Integrated Formations (HMIF) programme alongside Applied Research Associates' Neya Systems and Parry Labs. QinetiQ contributes to Kinesis tactical mission planning and command and control software for autonomous ground and air systems.
• MHD-ROCKLAND (MHD-R)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMHD-ROCKLAND appointed as authorised distributor of QinetiQ US's LAST Armor Lightweight Armor (LWA), offering up to 50% weight savings and modular field-replaceable design for military and humanitarian missions. Partnership leverages MHD-R's sustainment expertise with operators of C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orion fleets.
• Soteria Battery Innovation GroupminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSoteria licensed Q-TRED thermal event detection technology for inclusion in the Soteria Battery Safety IP Exchange platform, a licensing platform designed to reduce barriers to implementing battery safety innovations. Q-TRED uses coatings that emit detectable volatile compounds when battery cells reach elevated temperatures.
• Jacobs and PA Consulting Consortium (NSSR Programme)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPart of a Jacobs and PA Consulting-led consortium securing a four-year contract extension from the UK Department for Transport for the National Security Science and Research (NSSR) programme, protecting air, road and rail transport networks. The consortium also includes TNO, Iconal Technology, Cambridge University Technical Services Limited and Prometheus Policing Services.
• MBDA UK (DragonFire Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore consortium partner alongside Leonardo in the DragonFire directed energy laser weapon programme led by prime contractor MBDA UK. QinetiQ developed and produces the high-energy laser source component. £67m contract awarded for laser source development; broader £316m MOD contract to MBDA. DragonFire to be installed on Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers from 2027.
• Additive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 3D printing of aerospace structural components from recycled titanium. Achieved world's first flight of an aircraft component 3D printed from recycled titanium. AMS reports 97% material efficiency and 93.5% CO2e reduction vs conventional supply chains. Collaboration aims to achieve UK self-sufficiency in aerospace-grade titanium.
• BAE SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAE Systems participated in quantum inertial navigation system (Q-INS) flight trials conducted aboard a modified QinetiQ RJ100 aircraft as part of a £8m UK-funded project. Demonstrated world-first GPS-independent quantum navigation for resilient, jamming-resistant PNT technology.
• US National Defense Logistics AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQinetiQ Group supplied 24 tracked unmanned ground vehicles to the US National Defense Logistics Agency in March 2025 for $18.6m with a nine-month delivery timeline.
• NASA and BoeingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQinetiQ's Farnborough facility hosted NASA and Boeing wind tunnel testing of a scale model of Boeing's Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) truss-braced wing concept in December 2025. Testing used a semi-span model in a 5-meter pressurized wind tunnel to collect aerodynamic performance data.
• UK Submarine Delivery Group (SDG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Submarine Delivery Group to deploy mobile additive manufacturing workshops at HM Naval Base Clyde for on-site production of submarine replacement components, working within the UK's Defence Nuclear Enterprise and supporting the AUKUS partnership.
• European Space Agency (ESA) and JAXAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQinetiQ T6 ion thrusters powered the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft's eight-year solar electric propulsion cruise to Mercury, completed June 2026. Four T6 thrusters ionised xenon gas using solar power to generate thrust.
• ForcysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQinetiQ and Forcys signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on enhancing Australia's maritime assurance capabilities by delivering deployable underwater ranges and testing systems.
• V2X Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerV2X Inc. (formerly known through the acquisition process in 2025) acquired QinetiQ's US Federal IT Services business for $24 million in September 2025 to strengthen its national security offerings with advanced CBRNE detection capabilities.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• BAE Systems plc: UK's largest defence prime with broad portfolio across air, land, sea, and cyber domains. Directly comparable as a UK-headquartered, publicly-traded defence company; BAE is a partner on QinetiQ's Q-INS quantum navigation trials and Typhoon engineering programmes, making it both customer-adjacent and a competitor in test/engineering services.
• Thales Group: French multinational defence electronics, aeronautics, and cybersecurity company with deep UK and allied defence presence. Comparable across defence electronics, mission systems, and navigation/radar — overlapping with QinetiQ's C4ISTAR, sensing, and navigation capabilities.
• Saab AB: Swedish defence and security company with portfolio spanning radar, sensors, electronic warfare, and training systems. Comparable across threat representation, EW, and sensing — and a peer for UK/allied defence export opportunities alongside QinetiQ.
• Rheinmetall AG: German defence prime with major UK subsidiary exposure following its 2025 acquisition of UK-based defence assets. Comparable across defence electronics, vehicle systems, and ammunition — competing with QinetiQ for European defence modernisation contracts and overlapping in directed energy and air defence.

Direct peers

• Babcock International Group plc: UK defence and nuclear services company providing through-life support, training, and engineering services for military and naval customers. Closely comparable to QinetiQ's mission support and engineering services businesses, with overlapping exposure to UK MOD and Royal Navy programmes.
• Leonardo S.p.A. Italian defence prime and QinetiQ's consortium partner in the DragonFire laser weapon programme. Comparable across defence electronics, sensors, helicopters, and directed energy; both companies serve UK MOD and allied customers in similar capability domains.
• MBDA: European missile systems house and prime contractor on DragonFire (£316m contract). Directly comparable as QinetiQ's consortium partner for directed energy weapons and a peer in advanced weapons / guided munition systems serving UK and allied customers.
• Leidos Holdings, Inc. US defence, intelligence, and civil services company with strong cyber and mission data analytics portfolio. Comparable to QinetiQ's US operations (post-Avantus) and cyber/intelligence services franchise; both compete for US Department of Defense and intelligence community contracts.
• Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC): US defence and government IT services company providing engineering, integration, and mission support to DoD and intelligence agencies. Directly comparable to QinetiQ US's federal services business and a competitor for US cyber, mission data, and test/evaluation contracts.

Emerging players

• CACI International Inc. US-based defence and intelligence services provider with focus on signals intelligence, cyber, and electronic warfare. Comparable to QinetiQ's CEMA, mission data, and cyber intelligence portfolio; competes for similar US Five Eyes and intelligence community contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qinetiq_2
• Xx.com/qinetiq
• Facebookfacebook.com/qinetiqgroup

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A16 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QinetiQ