The announcement was reported by Swindon24 on Friday 12 June 2026. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is taking site S545 at Panattoni Park, the redeveloped former Honda car plant in Swindon, for a facility called the MOD Uncrewed Testing Centre.
What will the centre do?
Drones and other uncrewed systems will be tested, certified and developed there in a controlled indoor setting before they are deployed. The report said the centre is four times the size of NATO's small tactical drone testing centre in Latvia.
Jobs and investment
- The centre is expected to create hundreds of jobs, according to the report. Swindon North MP Will Stone said it had the potential to lead to thousands.
- The MOD has committed more than £4 billion to autonomous systems and drone technology, with more funding expected through its Defence Investment Plan.
- The announcement came five years after Honda closed its factory.
Brigadier Stu Nasse, for the MOD, said the site was chosen for its workforce, its infrastructure, its closeness to defence sites and the cluster of uncrewed systems firms nearby. Several drone makers have set up in and around Swindon, including Tekever at the Spectrum building.
Mr Stone, who worked with the MOD, Panattoni and Swindon Borough Council on the project, said: "Having the largest uncrewed testing facility in Europe based in Swindon will only increase investment in the town."
The report gave no construction timetable or opening date.
Source: Swindon24.