QinetiQ has announced the production of its 10,000th Banshee aerial training target, marking a major milestone in the company’s support to global defence forces through advanced threat simulation and training technologies, according to a press release.
The Banshee is an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to replicate a range of airborne threats in military exercises. Operated by over 40 nations, the platform is used to simulate everything from piloted aircraft to missiles and drone swarms.
The Banshee line is produced at QinetiQ’s facility in southeast England and supports training exercises worldwide, including the ongoing Formidable Shield exercise off the Scottish coast.
The UAV is capable of flying at speeds up to 200 metres per second and has recently been used to replicate real-world threat environments such as drone swarm attacks, as seen in Ukraine and the Red Sea.
Will Blamey, Chief Executive of QinetiQ UK Defence, said: “Building 10,000 Banshees is more than a production achievement, it’s a symbol of our global impact on defence preparedness.”
“We are proud that every Banshee produced contributes to sharpening the operational readiness of our customers,” he added. “With its customisable payloads and technology advancements, the Banshee is a realistic, adaptable and scalable training tool that continues to evolve.”
QinetiQ offers several variants of the Banshee system, including the Whirlwind, Jet 40+, and Jet 80+, each of which can be fitted with payloads tailored to specific training needs across land, sea, and air domains.
Did anything ever come of Jackdaw?
I underderstand it is much slower than real anti ship missiles. If so, how useful is it in replicating a modern threat?
Er, QinetiQ has only produced Banshees since 2016. It has been in production since 1984. It might be the 10000th Banshee but I would be amazed if it’s QinetiQ’s 10000th Banshee.
Meanwhile we’re presumably still waiting for our, what, fourth defence review in the last few years and starting to come around to the idea that, hang on, everyone’s got thousands of drones, shouldn’t we look at building some?
Someone please tell me I’m being unrealistic.