Farnborough’s QinetiQ to acquire Australian aviation company

Published by

Sam Pither

QinetiQ Group plc, a Farnborough-headquartered science and engineering company, has signed an agreement to acquire Australian aviation operations and engineering firm Air Affairs Australia.

Air Affairs Australia provides threat representation and mission rehearsal products and services to Australian Defence and commercial customers.

Steve Wadey, Group Chief Executive Officer of QinetiQ, said: “Air Affairs is a trusted partner to Australia’s Defence Organisation, delivering essential threat representation and mission rehearsal capabilities to the Australian war-fighter.”

“Combined with QinetiQ’s global threat representation, test and evaluation expertise, the acquisition of Air Affairs will deliver even greater value to our Australian Defence customer.”

The acquisition reinforces QinetiQ’s pre-existing relationship with the Australian Defence Force, and consolidates the company’s market position in threat representation, training, testing and evaluation.

Greg Barsby, Managing Director of QinetiQ Australia, said: “The addition of Air Affairs brings enhanced service offerings in training, test and evaluation to QinetiQ Australia. We will have more than 800 Australians delivering vital services to our Defence and National Security Customers.”

“With our strategic investment in our Sovereign Test & Evaluation Skills Program, new Technology and Engineering Centre in Fishermans Bend and the acquisition of Air Affairs, we are continuing to build important training, test and evaluation, and engineering capability in Australia.”

Chris Sievers, Chief Executive Officer of Air Affairs Australia, said: “QinetiQ Australia is a natural fit for the Air Affairs team. From our investment in early careers and sovereign industrial capability, to delivering critical training opportunities that enhance Australian defence operational readiness, both companies are aligned in culture and strategy.

“We see this as an exciting opportunity to unlock greater value for our Defence and industry customers.”

Featured image credit: QinetiQ

Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset. A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise. Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.