View Full Version : Is ETPS still active?
Gingerbread Man
7th Oct 2005, 17:53
Just browsing through the RAF website today I noticed that Boscombe Down is credited simply as being the home of Southampton UAS. Is ETPS not there anymore?
Just curious.
Ginger :)
BossEyed
7th Oct 2005, 18:43
They are, but ETPS are not part of the RAF - they operate as an element of the Aircraft Test & Evauation Centre, which is a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and QinetiQ.
Boscombe Down also houses so much more (http://www.qinetiq.com/home/defence/test_and_evaluation.html) than SUAS, ETPS and 2 AEF...
Jackonicko
7th Oct 2005, 19:24
If I were in the market for high quality, rigorous, serious analysis and evaluation, I'd be a bit put off by an organisation that couldn't spell and punctuate the word kinetic......
BEagle
7th Oct 2005, 19:49
Or who wasted someone's time and money thinking up such a stupid name as KwintyKwoo!
Prefer 'QueeRA' myself......
Dr Illitout
8th Oct 2005, 08:36
It all started to go down hill when they changed it from "The royal aircraft establishment"
:D
Rgds Dr. I.
It all started to go down hill when they changed it from "The royal aircraft establishment" And in the case of another place that's now also cue-eye-net-cue, when they changed it from "The Royal Signals and Radar Establishment." :(
adr
Moe Syzlak
8th Oct 2005, 15:50
Yawn....no TPS graduates here then?!
Dr I,
Nit-picking, I know but Boscome Down came under the splendid title of The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment. The Royal Aircraft Establishment was headquartered at Farnborough, with lots of outstations (Bedford, West Freugh etc). Although some of the RAE air fleed eventually found their way to Boscombe, the latter was not part of RAE.
alexmac
9th Oct 2005, 18:18
4x F/A 18's were at Boscombe last week to work with ETPS...for a time; they took the hump and moved out to Mildenhall before going back Stateside today... obviously didn't like something, or someone there :p
Megaton
9th Oct 2005, 18:23
Probably got the bill for landing fees and fuel!
Chris Kebab
9th Oct 2005, 19:36
Someone is spinning you a yarn Alexmac. The F-18s (and several other FJs) were absolutely nothing to do with ETPS.
alexmac
9th Oct 2005, 19:43
Another dead end then :p ..did wonder if they were going to play with the FACs next week on ex like the Hogs did earlier in the year...still there's a chance the F16s might, oh wait no they've gone home as well :rolleyes:
Dr Illitout
10th Oct 2005, 10:19
kitwe, I know but R.A.E, E.T.P.S, A.E.E.E. and all the rest sound a lot better than QnetiQ.
Didn't it all start at Farnborough anyway? ;)
Rgds Dr .I.
Wouldn't it be a huge challenge to try to carry out a conversation in English with the queer who thought up that crazy Q word/acronym or whatever it is.
Entry to ETPS is probably conditional on an ability to pronounce it and also explain its meaning.
Must try a define Q@#$%^ on Google.
kitwe
10th Oct 2005, 17:35
Dr I,
You're right! Anything sounds better than QinetiQ. It really started going downhill when DERA was invented. Many of the DERA hierarchy interpreted this as "DEARER", so they priced themselves out of the market.
Regards K