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46-526: The Shoeburyness Boom (also known as the Sheerness Boom , Thames Boom or Thames Estuary Boom ) refers to two successive defensive barriers across most of the Thames Estuary in the mid-20th century. As to the part perpendicular to the north shore most of the latter incarnation remains, and its nearest concrete mooring/patrol point 600 metres south. A 2 km (2,200 yard) stretch, this

92-412: A chain (also boom defence , harbour chain , river chain , chain boom , boom chain or variants) is an obstacle strung across a navigable stretch of water to control or block navigation. In modern times they usually have civil uses, such as to prevent access to a dangerous river channel. But, especially historically, they have been used militarily, with the goal of denying access to an enemy's ships:

138-405: A Royal Navy boom defence vessel and closed overnight. The boom was backed up by the nearby Maunsell Sea Forts and by a coastal battery/emplacement at Shoeburyness. The latter housed two 6 " naval guns and search-light emplacements protected by landward defences. A second boom was placed across the mouth a little further west at Canvey Island . Similar protections were quickly installed at

184-533: A Special Security Arrangement which allows it to work independently and separately on some of the most sensitive United States defense programs despite its foreign ownership. It has also spun off some of its technologies into new companies, such as Omni-ID Ltd . It is currently a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index . "QinetiQ" is an invented name. " Qi " is supposed to reflect the company's energy, "net" its networking ability, and "iq" its intellectual resources. The name

230-511: A large advertising campaign. The issue was partially resolved by allowing some brokerage firms to place orders in the IPO as part of a combined order, allowing the firm to purchase as though an institutional investor but on behalf of clients. While this did not result in a public campaign or retail investor discounts, it did allow many investors to purchase shares. Upon its floating on 10 February 2006, QinetiQ had an IPO of 200p per share, resulting in

276-591: A market value of £1.3bn. On 13 February 2006, shares closed at 219.5p, valuing it at over £1.4bn. Speculation that a consortium including QinetiQ was about to win a £10bn MoD training contract helped push their share price back above 190p in early November 2006. It was announced on 17 January 2007 that the QinetiQ-led Metrix consortium was the preferred bidder for package one of the MoD's Defence Training Rationalisation programme, worth approx £16bn. In 2007,

322-462: A modern example is the anti-submarine net . Booms have also been used to force passing vessels to pay a toll. A boom generally floats on the surface, while a chain can be on the surface or below the water. A chain could be made to float with rafts, logs, ships or other wood, making the chain a boom as well. Especially in medieval times, the end of a chain could be attached to a chain tower or boom tower . This allowed safe raising or lowering of

368-527: A stock exchange float would take place. In September 2004, QinetiQ acquired the US defence companies Westar Corporation and Foster-Miller , maker of the Talon robot. Also in 2004, it acquired HVR Consulting Services a leading UK-based engineering consultancy. In early August 2005, the company announced it would acquire Apogen Technologies, Inc. , pending regulatory approval; according to QinetiQ's website,

414-491: Is designated a scheduled monument and marks the western edge of MoD Shoeburyness firing range, a restricted area. The rest was taken up in the 1960s. The first guise was built in late 1939, the first months of the Second World War , mainly to protect shipping and the capital from attack by submarines, mines and surface vessels. It was dismantled. The second was built between 1950 and 1953 to forestall access to

460-523: The Age of Sail , a boom protecting a harbour could have several ships defending it with their broadsides , discouraging assaults on the boom. On some occasions, multiple booms spanned a single stretch of water. Qinetiq QinetiQ ( / k ɪ ˈ n ɛ t ɪ k / as in kinetic ) is a multinational defence technology company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire . It operates primarily in

506-646: The Carlyle Group , an American private equity firm, publicly declared its intention to purchase a large stake in QinetiQ. In February 2003, the Carlyle Group completed the acquisition of a 33.8% share for £42 million. Prior to QinetiQ's flotation years later, ownership of the firm was divided between the MoD (56%), Carlyle Group (31%) and staff (13%). The Carlyle Group was expected to remain invested in QinetiQ for between three and five years, after which

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552-507: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) would retain a 'special share' in the company, while safeguards would be in place to prevent conflicts of interest. By April 2002, while QinetiQ had taken steps to operate on a commercial basis and saw third parties as its key growth area, 80% of its annual sales was reportedly being derived from the UK MoD. It was observed that QinetiQ's close relationship with

598-537: The National Audit Office conducted an inquiry into the privatisation to determine whether UK taxpayers received good value for money. The inquiry looked at the following issues: In November 2007, the NAO reported that taxpayers could have gained "tens of millions" more and was critical of the incentive scheme given to QinetiQ managers, the 10 most senior of whom gained £107.5m on an investment of £540,000 in

644-495: The Solent (to protect the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth ) and at Plymouth . The remains of Shoeburyness battery, together with its magazines and search-light emplacements are visible in the grounds of MoD Shoeburyness – with no public access. In the south are scant remnants: a line of piles and wrecked boats at East End, close to Minster Beach . The replacement booms were built 15 to 60 m (16 to 65 yards) west of

690-464: The hydrogen bomb quickly rendered the Cold War boom obsolete and it was partially demolished in the 1960s. The boom was erected in 1939, at the start of the Second World War . The main intention was to prevent any incursion of enemy submarines up the estuary where they could attack merchant shipping. Secondary benefits included protection against floating mines, enemy surface vessels and to reduce

736-532: The siege of Damietta , the raid on the Medway and the Battle of Vigo Bay . Frequently, however, attackers instead seized the defences and cut the chain or boom by more conventional methods. The boom at the siege of Derry , for example, was cut by sailors in a longboat . As a key portion of defences, booms were usually heavily defended. This involved shore-based chain towers, artillery batteries, or forts. In

782-588: The 1990s to develop new and more effective RFID technologies. On 9 February 2007, the Carlyle Group sold its remaining 10.3% stake in the group at 205p per share, resulting in a £290 million return on its original investment. During September 2008, the MoD sold its remaining 18.9% holding in QinetiQ at 206p per share, raising £254 million. The British government retained its 'special share', giving it control over any potential takeover. In February 2020, QinetiQ acquired military training specialist Newman & Spurr Consultancy Ltd for £14 million. In November 2022, it

828-467: The Essex (north) side have been shortened by 600 m (660 yards), leaving 2.01 km (2,200 yards) projecting from the shore. It has developed a few gaps from loss by erosion of a few piles. The post that marked the transition from the boom to the deep water anti-submarine net remains in the mid-north of the channel. The boom is a landmark on this stretch of coast. The structure marks the western boundary of

874-538: The Essex (north) side these ran for over 1 mile (1.6 km). Where the boom met the deep water channel it became an anti-submarine net . At intervals along the net 200-ton lighters were stationed armed with anti-aircraft guns and searchlights. Two gates were set in the net for access by shipping, one towards the north for access to the Thames and one towards the south for the Medway ports. These were opened by

920-692: The Long Term partnering Agreement (LTPA) with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide test and evaluation services and manage military ranges. It is a major stakeholder in the UK Defence Technology Centre , which places military research contracts on behalf of the MoD. QinetiQ has a 25-year Maritime Strategic Facilities Agreement (MSCA) with the MoD to provide strategic maritime facilities and capabilities, including hydromechanic facilities at Haslar, biomedical facilities on

966-480: The MoD gave it a competitive edge over most private-sector rivals. Initially, QinetiQ was entirely owned by the British government; it was planned for a stock market flotation of the firm to be conducted sometime during 2002. However, this flotation was postponed; according to aerospace industry periodical Flight International , a lack of investor confidence was the principal reason for the delay. In late 2002,

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1012-631: The Paramarine software suite of ship and submarine design tools. On 12 January 2006, an announcement was made in Parliament by John Reid , Secretary of State for Defence, regarding the pending floatation of QinetiQ. Reid stated that the Carlyle Group 'will continue to retain a significant stake in the company', and that the government would continue to hold a ' golden share ' to protect the UK's security and defence interests. On 10 February 2006, QinetiQ

1058-417: The UK's South Coast, and submarine structures, survivability and shock testing facilities at Rosyth. The QinetiQ Group comprises QinetiQ EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Australasia) and QinetiQ North America. QinetiQ North America, which was set up after the takeover of Foster-Miller , is a wholly owned subsidiary of QinetiQ, but remains independent and separated from the QinetiQ group by a proxy agreement with

1104-566: The US Transportation Security Administration for railway stations and airports. During August 2008, QinetiQ's Zephyr , a solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), performed a non-stop flight spanning 14 days; this was a world record for the longest duration unmanned flight. Over the following years, Qinetic performed further record-breaking flights of the UAV. During summer 2018, an improved model of

1150-399: The US government and its agencies, was announced. The disposal of Aerospace Filtration Systems (formerly part of Westar) was announced at the same time. In June of that year, QinetiQ announced that Apogen Technologies Inc., its US subsidiary, had completed the acquisition of 3H Technology LLC, a specialist IT company with US government and commercial clients. In October, the company completed

1196-470: The US to comply with US laws that prevent sensitive technology coming under the control of a foreign venture that takes over a US company. The major UK sites are at Farnborough , Hampshire (the historical Royal Aircraft Establishment ) and Malvern, Worcestershire (the historical RSRE / RRE / TRE ). QinetiQ is one of the ten largest UK employers of science and engineering graduates, recruiting around 150 per year. Between 2002 and 2006, it has appeared in

1242-486: The Zephyr conducted an even-longer flight, lasting nearly 26 days. The Zephyr UAV has been offered as a commercial product, the programme having been acquired by multinational aerospace company Airbus Group . QinetiQ have been involved in the further development of the Zephyr, such as the provision of LIDAR payload for the type. QinetiQ has a 25-year T3E (Test, Trials, Training and Evaluation) agreement formerly called

1288-437: The acquisition of Boldon James Holdings Limited , a UK-based provider of software for high end secure messaging, primarily for military, government and security customers worldwide. In March 2007, QinetiQ spun off a new company, Omni-ID Ltd ; this entity specialises in the commercial opportunities for passive UHF radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. Prior to the spin off, a research team at QinetiQ had been active since

1334-535: The available invasion beachheads . The boom ran apart from a minor gap for the navigation channel. Its north part ran from the East Beach at Shoeburyness, Essex. Its south part ran from Royal Oak Point in Sheerness , Kent thus most of the 5.6-mile (9-kilometre) span. In the shallow water at either end, closest to the land, the boom was wooden piles driven into the sandy seabed and reinforced with concrete. From

1380-410: The chain, as they were often heavily fortified. By raising or lowering a chain or boom, access could be selectively granted rather than simply rendering the stretch of water completely inaccessible. The raising and lowering could be accomplished by a windlass mechanism or a capstan . Booms or chains could be broken by a sufficiently large or heavy ship, and this occurred on many occasions, including

1426-770: The company announced the launch of a strategic collaboration with information security firm Nexor to pool their cyber security portfolios. During 2016, QinetiQ released a whitepaper on the topic, which identified employee behaviour as a major contributing factor in the majority of security breaches. QinetiQ has partnered with mobile phone network provider Vodafone to support end-to-end internet security services. QinetiQ provides technology-based products and services to numerous government and commercial customers. More than 2,000 of QinetiQ subsidiary Foster-Miller's Talon robots have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan , most used to remotely locate and disable roadside bombs. QinetiQ's SPO stand-off threat detection system has been sold to

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1472-405: The company's shares. The return of 19,990% was described as "excessive" by the NAO. The role of QinetiQ's management in negotiating terms with the Carlyle Group while the private equity company was bidding for the business was also criticised by the NAO. Carlyle bought a third of the business for £42m, which grew in value to £372m in less than four years. However, the Ministry of Defence defended

1518-813: The defence, security and critical national infrastructure markets and run testing and evaluation capabilities for air, land, sea and target systems. As a private entity, QinetiQ was created in April 2001; prior to this its assets had been part of Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), a now-defunct British government organisation. While a large portion of DERA's assets, sites, and employees were transferred to QinetiQ, other elements were incorporated into Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), which remains in government ownership. Some former DERA locations have thus become key sites for QinetiQ. These include Farnborough, Hampshire; MoD Boscombe Down , Wiltshire; and Malvern, Worcestershire . In February 2006, QinetiQ

1564-594: The estuary by Soviet submarines during the Cold War . Both booms ran most of the way from Shoeburyness in Essex to Sheerness in Kent: 5.6 miles (9.0 km). The first guise consisted of wooden piles driven into the estuary bed save for in the deep-water channel which was protected by an anti-submarine net . The second guise added concrete piles at either end of the gap (channel) able to assist Royal Navy vessels. The development of nuclear missiles , jet bombers and

1610-490: The firing range at the MoD property (managed by Qinetiq ) and access is not permitted to the beach beyond. It was granted scheduled monument status in 2004. The remains of the boom and deep, broad channel post are Hazards on regional shipping charts. A modern navigation light with accompanying mooring bollards and accessway is at the broad channel post. On 25 July 2015 the boom was struck by an empty, drifting fishing vessel. Boom (navigational barrier) A boom or

1656-461: The old ones between 1950 and 1953 by labourers and servicemen for the Admiralty. These comprised two offset rows of concrete piles, linked by angle-iron straps. The northern boom had two changes of direction along its length before meeting the deep water channel. In times of extreme alert the gap between the two was intended to be closed by moored Royal Navy vessels. By its final year the nature of

1702-514: The purchase came at a cost of $ 288.0m (£162.7m). In September 2005, the company acquired a 90% share of Verhaert Design and Development NV (VDD), a Belgian space systems integrator. In October that year, it acquired Broadreach Networks Limited, a supplier of Wi-Fi internet equipment to the European rail industry, and in February 2006, it bought Graphics Research Corporation Ltd, developer of

1748-560: The sale to be delayed, but was over-ruled by the Treasury, which had convinced the Ministry of Defence to go ahead. Controversy also arose around the fact that retail investors were excluded from the initial public offering (IPO) due to QinetiQ's complexity and that institutional investors would require less complicated marketing and financing. This led to contrasts with the 'Sid' campaign for British Gas plc in 1986, where retail investors were encouraged to buy shares, with discounts and

1794-447: The sale: In January 2007, the company bought Analex , a US corporation that provides high technology professional services, principally to the US government and its agencies. It was originally incorporated in 1964 under the name Biorad and evolved into Hadron , a US government systems consulting firm. In February 2007, the acquisition of ITS Corporation, a provider of IT services to

1840-455: The threat was shifting from submarines to nuclear-armed bombers against which the boom would have been scant defence. With the coming of reliable nuclear-armed rockets, jet-powered bombers and the hydrogen bomb in the mid-1950s the principle was beyond doubt obsolete. It is the only known anti-submarine boom of the Cold War. In the 1960s the piles at the Kent (south) side were removed. Those at

1886-483: Was adopted in early 2001 as a marker of Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) privatisation; the rebranding reportedly cost £400,000. In early 2001, defence minister Lewis Moonie announced the creation of QinetiQ via the privatisation of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). At the time, Moonie stated that the entity would remain a British business, being based in the UK, and that

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1932-470: Was announced QinetiQ had completed the acquisition of the McLean -headquartered provider of cybersecurity and data analytics software to US government agencies, Avantus Federal for $ 590 million USD. During mid-2013, reports emerged that Chinese hackers had allegedly compromised sensitive military research being performed by QinetiQ. It was claimed that, between 2007 and 2010, QinetiQ's North American business

1978-577: Was floated on the London Stock Exchange . The privatisation process was subject to an inquiry by the UK's National Audit Office , which was critical of the generous incentive scheme available to the company's management. QinetiQ has completed numerous acquisitions of defence- and technology-related companies, primarily those that are based in the United States , and is a trusted supplier to the US government. QinetiQ USA operates under

2024-426: Was floated on the London Stock Exchange . The valuation of the company, and of how much taxpayers would benefit from QinetiQ's privatisation, was a subject of considerable debate and controversy. The company had been valued at between £1.1bn and £1.3bn, with the MoD holding estimated to be worth £616m – £728m, the Carlyle Group's holding £341m – £403m, and staff/management's holding worth £143m – £169m. Controversy

2070-413: Was generated by the very large returns generated for both the Carlyle Group and senior managers at the company; reportedly Sir John Chisholm is speculated to have benefitted by over £20 million alone. Lord Moonie , who handled the initial sale, stated in 2006 that the government's 31 per cent stake should not have been sold when equity markets were languishing in 2002. Moonie said that he had argued for

2116-558: Was the subject of a cyber-attack . At the time of the incidents, the company said it disclosed all of its breaches to the responsible government agencies and these were resolved to their satisfaction. The Pentagon has stated that it still entrusts QinetiQ with sensitive defence technology. The issue of cyber security affected other organisations; a Pentagon report stated that various US government agencies had been victims of cyberattacks. QinetiQ provides auditing and consultancy services on cyber security to third party businesses. In 2011,

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