Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Panattoni hosted the opening of what has been described as NATO’s largest indoor drone testing facility in Europe at Panattoni Park Swindon in the UK.
The event, held on 12 June, was attended by UK Defence Minister Dan Jarvis and brought together more than 40 defence companies, suppliers and representatives from government and the armed forces. Demonstrations focused on drone technologies, autonomous systems and other defence-related innovations.
The facility, known as DroneTEX, forms part of the Ministry of Defence’s Uncrewed Systems Centre and follows a major lease agreement under which the Ministry of Defence has taken more than 500,000 sq ft of space at Panattoni Park Swindon.
During the event, Panattoni representatives formally handed over the facility to the Ministry of Defence. Brigadier Stu Nasse, Head of the UK Drone Coalition, described the project as an example of collaboration between the public and private sectors in delivering infrastructure for the defence industry.
Dan Jarvis said the facility would support the testing and development of technologies that are increasingly shaping modern military operations. He noted that the role of uncrewed systems continues to expand across land, air and maritime environments.
Panattoni Park Swindon is being developed on the site of the former Honda manufacturing plant. According to the developer, more than £900 million has been invested in land acquisition and infrastructure works. Upon completion, the wider development is expected to provide more than 7 million sq ft of industrial, logistics, manufacturing, technology and defence-related space.
The scheme currently includes approximately 920,000 sq ft of completed speculative warehouse accommodation available for occupation. A further 1.2 million sq ft of space is under construction and is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2027.
Panattoni said the development is intended to support industrial, technology and defence-related occupiers, while contributing to the continued regeneration of the former manufacturing site.
