The United Kingdom will soon receive a new, large anechoic chamber to help evaluate and improve military aircraft electromagnetic discretion and protection.
News emerged in mid-August that the new facility will be based at Boscombe Down airfield in southwest England. Boscombe Down is owned by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and managed by QinetiQ. The airfield is used extensively for military aircraft testing. Reports announcing the construction of the $26 million anechoic chamber revealed it will be large enough to house Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft like the Boeing Chinook series heavylift helicopter. The chamber will also be sufficient to accommodate RAF Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning combat aircraft.
Emulated Threats
Aircraft using the chamber, dubbed the ‘Silent Hangar’, can be bombarded with simulated electronic attacks from threat emulators. Reports noted that threats can include Global Navigation Satellite Signal (GNSS) Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) jamming and spoofing signals. The benefit of the chamber is that hostile radio frequency signals can be simulated without electromagnetically polluting local areas. The new facility is likely to open in 2026.
Sources close to QinetiQ and the MOD have shared with Armada that the UK currently has an existing anechoic chamber at Boscombe Down. This chamber is used to evaluate the electromagnetic resilience and protection of military aircraft. Nonetheless, the new facility is expected to increase testing performance capabilities particularly regarding threats to GNSS PNT signals. Although GNSS disruption is a key focus for the new chamber, it would be unsurprising if other threats cannot also be simulated. Sources declined to provide additional details on simulator performance due to security reasons.
The sources did note that threat simulators will be procured via the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory with additional support provided in this regard by Spirent. Alongside the Silent Hangar, the facility will include all aspects required to successfully deliver electromagnetic trials and evaluations. This includes operating areas for the chamber and storage facilities.
GCAP
The construction and activation of the Silent Hangar comes at an opportune moment for the UK. The country has recently procured platforms like the F-35B which will be expected to fight in contested airspace. Likewise, new sixth generation fighters are on the horizon for the RAF such as the BAE Systems Tempest. Tempest forms a key part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) which also includes Italy and Japan. Ensuring that platforms like the Tempest can fight and win in electromagnetically contested environments will be a key consideration in the design and evolution of this platform.
by Dr. Thomas Withington
