Issue 9 Jan 2009.indd - Ministry of Defence

10
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Vehicle durability
The British MoD is
leading the world in an
initiative that will help
improve the durability of
vehicles across a wide
range of applications.
Working with leading
test and development
centre Millbrook
(Bedford, UK), a suite of
Battlefield Missions
have been developed
that allow all vehicles up
to 80 tonnes to be
evaluated in repeatable,
highly realistic
conditions that push the
capability envelope.
“Different vehicle
categories – utility,
transporters, personnel
carriers, etc – are used
in completely different
ways across many
different terrains. To
effectively evaluate
durability, their specific
drive cycles must be
replicated under
laboratory conditions,”
explains Millbrook’s
head of military vehicle
operations, Julian
Bryan. “Our 700 acre,
purpose-built proving
ground is the only
location in Europe where
this can be achieved
with all the specialist
features needed to
simulate field
operations.”
www.millbrook.co.uk
+44 (0)1525 408408
Millbrook’s network of
roads includes
everything from
motorways and Alpine
hills to gravelled tracks
and cobbled city streets,
with features such as
curbs and pot-holes that
are carefully
constructed to be the
same year after year.
Off-road the same
standards of consistency
and repeatability are
maintained, with
constant gradient hills
of sand and clay and a
vast range of special
features such as mortar
holes, high-gradient
slopes and a log run.
Maddy Southey,
commercial
head at the
Disposal Services
Authority, above
right, signs the
agreement with Ed
Lowe, managing
director of Thales
UK’s naval
business
Right: Dulverton
and Cottesmore
TWO FORMER Royal Navy minehunters have been sold to the Lithuanians.
Cottesmore and Dulverton were converted in 1997 from minehunters to patrol vessels
before being declared surplus to requirements and listed for disposal in 2004.
Now Thales UK’s naval business will be prime contractor to reactivate the two ships
for use by Lithuania.
The sales agreement between the MOD and the Lithuanian Ministry of National
Defence was signed on board HMS Victory in Portsmouth by Maddy Southey, commercial
head of the Disposal Services Authority, part of DE&S.
The ship-regeneration package represents an innovative departure for Thales UK,
building on the naval architecture and engineering expertise already established in the
company to support the design work on the Royal Navy’s future aircraft carriers.
Work will include fi tting a new hull-mounted Sonar 2193 system, propulsion,
command and control systems, and mine disposal systems. The ships are expected to
enter service with the Lithuanian Navy by 2011.
THE FALCON communications
system – the next generation
mobile broadband for the army
and RAF – is now undergoing
extensive testing.
Tests on the deployable trunk
communications system are to
prove its system requirement
before key equipment
acceptance trials later this
year. In-service is scheduled for
2010 to replace Ptarmigan.
The first Falcon vehicle
arrived at BAE Systems
Integrated Systems
Technologies in Christchurch
for testing last autumn. The
test facility was also officially
opened by Martin Sheppard,
leader of DE&S’ Theatre and
Formation Communications
Systems team.
Falcon uses a common
vehicle and container for many
of its configurations. The first-
of-type Wide Area Switching
Point (WASP) capability provides
the backbone network to which
headquarters connect and
contains the most comprehensive
fit of all variants.
Mo Stevens of BAE Systems
Insyte said: “At this stage in the
programme the advanced status
of the WASP was truly impressive.
All observations and immediate
feedback was extremely positive
Former
Navy
ships go
hunting
in the
Baltic
Falcon system enters
its key proving phase
Falcon Wide Area
Service Provision
(WASP) container
mounted on a MAN
vehicle with, from
left, Maj Steve
Abram of the Falcon
implementation team,
Ian Maxwell of Insyte,
Martin Sheppard of
DE&S, Mo Stevens,
Insyte, Rob Tucker of
DE&S and John Howie,
Insyte
and allowed many to get a real feel
for the developing capability.”
Meanwhile, the Cormorant
communications system has been
deployed to Baghdad for the first
time.
Also managed by Theatre
and Formation Communications
Systems team with EADS,
Cormorant provides telecommunications
facilities for
deployed headquarters.