Faster front-line delivery with new Testing and Evaluation programme

MOD and QinetiQ revolutionising access to Test and Evaluation facilities for SMEs, delivering new tech into service faster

SAFARI will remove barriers to UK sites, helping new capabilities move from development to deployment quicker

Supports SDR commitment to support SMEs with additional £2.5 billion every year by 2028

Technologies such as hypersonic missiles, directed energy weapons and autonomous systems will be assessed, refined and delivered quicker than ever before, following a joint Ministry of Defence (MOD) and QinetiQ programme transforming how defence capabilities are tested and evaluated at the pace of modern warfare.

Project Safari will revolutionise access to the UK’s sovereign Test and Evaluation (T&E) facilities for Small and Medium Enterprises, creating an agile environment to prove and deliver new technologies into service faster.

For too long, companies – especially those that are SMEs or new to working in defence – have faced barriers that have prevented them getting their ideas and technology tested in real life scenarios, such as outdated bureaucracy to gain multiple levels of approvals.

This programme will remove barriers to UK sites, providing a single front-door for SMEs to access facilities and improving the approval processes for trial activity. That smoother route for innovative firms into the sector will help support jobs and investment in their local economies, powering growth in every postcode.

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.