Europe’s Largest Drone Test Site Opens in England
Europe’s largest drone test site has opened in Swindon, with Britain’s Ministry of Defence planning UAV development with private firms.
Europe’s largest drone testing ground has begun operating in southwest England, the British Ministry of Defence said.
The site, called the Uncrewed Systems Centre, is located at the DroneTEX facility in Swindon. Its testing area covers more than 50,000 square metres.
According to the ministry, the new centre is expected to become one of Britain’s key locations for developing and testing advanced UAV technologies. The work there is planned in cooperation with private companies.
Britain’s new defence minister, Dan Jarvis, said at the opening that the DroneTEX facility inside the Uncrewed Systems Centre is Europe’s largest site for testing and developing unmanned aerial vehicles.
The event was Jarvis’s first public appearance after he was appointed head of the Ministry of Defence on Thursday, June 11. His predecessor, John Healey, left the post after saying the defence sector was not receiving enough funding from the authorities.
Earlier, British officials had announced plans to build a new UAV factory in Swindon. The project was intended to cover the full production cycle, from prototype development to final drone assembly.
Politico reported that the centre had been expected to open in February, but the launch was delayed because of funding difficulties. In its Friday statement, however, the British Ministry of Defence did not clarify whether the newly opened testing ground is linked to the factory project.