newsWinter 2015

#38

www.sea.co.uk

SEA’s Submarine Communications System is Standing by to Surface

SEA is expanding DECKsim supports the Royal Navy

Dismounted Soldier Systems

From tactical bases to future cities

SEA’s Submarine Communications System is Standing by to Surface SEA’s Common External Communications System (cECS), was recently adopted as the future communications system architecture across the UK submarine fleet. Following this success SEA has been invited in a competitive tender to submit their proposal for replacing the aging systems on the surface fleet.

engineering for success

02 |

SEA has been looking at how the modern communications architecture for the RN submarines could be applied to a surface fleet, giving a state of the art, modular, flexible, open system, enabling ships to communicate with each other, their home base and with partners in coalition forces for the next 25 years and beyond.

Using the Royal Navy as an example we see much more demanding communication requirements. The Royal Navy (RN) surface fleet is adapting to deal with the significantly more complex defence environment it operates in. The increased use of internet, mobile phone and cyber space to manage and conduct warfare means that the next generation of communications system must give the RN the very best capability now, and be able to evolve rapidly, to ensure RN platforms maintain their position as an internationally respected Navy.

The Royal Navy is often relied upon to provide support during natural and man-made disasters around the world. A recent example is the Ebola outbreak in West Africa where RN ships

have been deployed to establish a complete medical support infrastructure in an area where little or no communications exist. Command and control needs to be rapidly established to ensure the very best use of all the resources deployed on the ground to help bring the outbreak under control. Sophisticated and robust communications are therefore essential.

©Crown Copyright

©C

row

n C

op

yrig

ht

www.sea.co.uk | 03

SEA’s submarine communications are based around an open, modular and highly secure architecture with advanced remote control that ensures all existing communications equipment can continue to be used, at the same time new equipment can be introduced to enhance the capability and provide a fully networked system.

Previously this was a long and costly process but with the cECS system, new equipment can be integrated with significantly lower costs and in a matter of days or weeks.

cECS will deliver the capability, performance and cost benefits which are both strategically important and desirable characteristics of the future surface communications capability.

SEA has spent over three years investigating the challenges and requirements of a solution that could provide communications systems to both the submarine and surface environment. SEA’s research showed that the underpinning technical requirements were nearly identical. The differences lie in the methods of use.

Namely a submarine is quiet most of the time with brief periods of intense traffic. When a surface ship is operating the activity is nearly continuous and across multiple communications bearers with many simultaneous users interacting.

To prove that these challenges can be met by SEA’s architecture we have built a full scale integration and demonstration laboratory. The challenge we gave our engineers was to prove that major war vessel environments are well within capability both in terms of simultaneous channels and concurrent voice circuits.

The result was spectacularly good with the system performance characteristics showing no decline in performance as the system was heavily loaded, the under pinning architecture supports multiple grouped voice calls with ease.

The transition to the next generation of communications cannot interrupt business as usual for any customer and SEA have recently joined up with J+S Ltd from Barnstable who bring an advanced manufacturing capability and a surface ship support infrastructure that will ensure a rapid and uninterrupted installation program and complete, through life support.

SEA are confident that bringing its communications system to the surface will pay off, not just in terms of better capability but also to help reduce the cost of delivering an advanced communications system.

SEA has investigated the challenges and requirements of a solution that could

provide communications systems to both the submarine and surface environment.

©Crown Copyright

04 |

SEA wins £23m contract to enhance submarine communicationsSEA has been selected to deliver advanced external communications technology for the UK’s submarine fleet.

SEA’s innovative External Communications System (ECS) is currently on the Royal Navy’s Astute Boat 3 and will now be rolled out across the fleet.

SEA’s common ECS provides an open, flexible and networked communication system which marks a significant advancement in submarine communications. Where previously communications typically relied upon complex end-to-end circuit technology, ECS is designed on an open, modular, and highly secure architecture with advanced remote control capabilities. This ensures the system can be easily and rapidly evolved and enhanced as new technologies emerge - making it cost-efficient without compromising performance.

The introduction of the common ECS sets the stage for a planned revolution in submarine communication over the coming years - enabling submarines to take on new tasks in Anti Air Warfare, network-enabled precision strikes and Anti Surface Warfare.

Steve Hill, managing director at SEA, said: “SEA is delighted to have been chosen by prime contractor BAE Systems to deliver this system. It is the culmination of fifteen years hard work, often in close partnership with the Royal Navy. Our appointment demonstrates that the MoD policy to support procurement from small innovative companies is paying off – bringing enhanced capabilities and reducing the cost of delivering an advanced and highly capable Navy.”

SEA is expanding! J+S Limited an independent systems and in-service support provider for the defence and offshore energy markets, joins the Cohort plc as part of SEA.

J+S will provide SEA with new capabilities in defence and offshore energy. Defence products include sonar systems, torpedo launchers and a range of other naval equipment for the Royal Navy and other customers globally.

These defence capabilities and products - notably its sonar array products, well-established manufacturing capability and long-term customer support relationships - are highly complementary to those of SEA. The full integration of J+S within SEA will enhance market offerings as well as providing cost savings and benefits from shared access to markets and technologies.

The established production capability of J+S will support SEA’s growing need for submarine communication and other system manufacture capability.

SEA’s expertise in certain technology areas offers the potential for enhancing product offerings and will extend SEA’s reach internationally - building on the strong foothold J+S has in Canada, Malaysia and the wider Asia Pacific region. It also brings a growing capability in adjacent markets including offshore energy.

Andrew Thomis, Chief Executive Officer of Cohort, said: “By integrating J+S into SEA, we aim to accelerate the growth of the combined business by enhancing its product and service offerings and broadening its international reach. The transaction will consolidate SEA’s position as a leading international provider of naval defence technology.

engineering for success

©Crown Copyright

www.sea.co.uk | 05

Military Training & Education Delivery – Decision SupportSimulation of Replenishment at Sea Manoeuvres to Assess Operational Capability.

In response to the requirement to enable the transfer of solids to the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Aircraft Carriers, a simulation of Replenishment at Sea (RAS) operations has been developed by SEA for the UK Ministry of Defence. This work supports enhanced UK RAS capability and the NATO International RAS Project Arrangement. Any ship can be modelled within the simulation framework and approach, station keeping, and breakaway manoeuvres can all be configured.

The SEA-developed modular simulation includes ship dynamics, lead and following helms with automated propeller and rudder control, full ship hydrodynamics including isolated hull forces and interaction effects, an environment model, and a choice of visualisation modules. A transfer module is also available to simulate the transfer of solid loads between ships.

Solids transfer to the Carriers is required from existing Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, specifically the Auxiliary Oiler and Replenishment (AOR) and the Fort Class solid support ships. SEA conducted a range of simulation studies to assess the performance of these two ship types during approach, station keeping and breakaway manoeuvres when alongside the QEC. The results have been used to assess the capability of the two ships to replenish the Carrier in varying sea conditions, to quantify performance during operations, and to assess whether operational guidance can be produced using the simulation results.

DECKsim supports the biggest and most powerful warships ever constructed for the Royal Navy. SEA’s new Aviation Command Team Trainer is providing a deck operation simulation solution for the newly formed Airspace Management Organisation (AMO) for the new HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier.

DECKsim will allow Royal Navy personnel to realistically simulate and experiment with concurrent operations by multiple airframes and aircraft types in real-time. Simulations can be used for mission rehearsal and provide vital operational data and rehearsal time to the AMO via a research task run by DSTL. The SEAvis toolset that underpins the DECKsim product range rapidly generates high fidelity visualisations of the new carrier and its surrounding airspace. The Aviation Command Team Trainer includes the ATC radar display, a 2D interactive deck plan, the marine environment, and 3D models including the Merlin helicopter, the Joint Strike Fighter and the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier.

“This provided a valuable demonstration to our users, those within the Queen Elizabeth Carrier currently developing their SOPs and the Maritime Warfare Centre, developing CS doctrine; but also as a valuable opportunity to initiate and develop discussions with stakeholders as DOTC(M) develops.” Commander Peter Le Gassick,

SEA offers a range of DECKsim products and an overview of these and more can be found at: www.sea-procedural-training.co.uk

Dismounted Soldier SystemsSEA continues to lead the way in research for the dismounted soldier through its Dismounted Soldier Systems lethality research for Dstl and Capability Directorate Combat’s Delivering Dismounted Effect (DDE) programme.

Now in its third year, the programme has delivered some key developments including Weapon As A Platform (WAAP), Digital Optical Weapon Sight (DOWS) and Targeting Support System (TSS). These concepts have now been successfully trailled at Warminster by the Infantry Trials and Development Unit.

SEA is now the Industry Technical Partner to Dstl for the Dismounted Soldier Systems (DSS) Engine Room. The Engine Room is focused on bringing coherence and integration to the DSS programme and SEA

is providing specific technical experience, knowledge and expertise in areas such as Capability Road Mapping, Soldier Systems Architecture, Generic Systems Architecture, and Human Factors.

SEA has produced the ‘Future Soldier Vision’ pulling together the dstl and industrial S&T knowledge base to identify what the future

dismounted soldier may look like in ten years’ time, enabling the Capability Directorate Combat to plan future soldier capability

requirements. The vision provides the Dismounted Close Combat research community

with a contextual platform in which to present future soldier-based research themes to wider stakeholders.

The physical mannequin places the soldier at the centre

of the research space - acting as a pragmatic and realistic mechanism to demonstrate what can be achieved by maturing research and ‘commercial off the shelf’ technologies.

engineering for success

06 |

SEA to lead £4m MoD research programme SEA will deliver a research programme that will focus on future training and experimentation environments. The Architectures; Interoperability and Management of Simulations (AIMS) programme forms one of the three technical columns of the Synthetic Environments Tower of Excellence (SE Tower).

The objective of the programme is to develop, evaluate and enable the exploitation of advanced Live, Virtual and Constructive simulation architectures, interoperability and management techniques. This will aid integration between land, sea and air operations, and support greater interoperability between NATO and other coalition partners.

SEA will be supported by its partners BAE Systems, Thales UK and QinetiQ, augmented by industry and academia specialists from across the SE Tower. The research programme is being commissioned as part of MOD’s efforts to achieve efficiency savings, particularly in the area of military training.

www.sea.co.uk | 07

From Tactical Bases to Future Cities Recent operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere have seen Tactical Bases develop into large and sophisticated installations providing a range of support for deployed forces.

As part of its continuing involvement in Defence Logistics research, SEA and project partner DIEM Consulting have delivered a detailed analysis of the complex factors affecting Tactical Bases used in military land operations.

SEA and DIEM implemented a systems engineering approach to the problem - describing the key operational nodes and activities of the Tactical Base in order to provide the framework necessary to undertake Causal Mapping and System Dynamics modelling. This enabled the complex relationships to be understood and the potential benefits of incorporating new technology to be quantified.

The results of this work and its application to emerging cities were reported in the recent Institution of Engineering and Technology Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Special Interest Publication “Managing Complexity and Uncertainty in Developing Cities”. The techniques used in the analysis and knowledge are now available to the wider community dealing with the need to increase resilience for the world’s growing cities.

Latest ROADflow newsROADflow permit system goes live in the West Country

First Welsh ROADflow system delivered after Welsh enforcement powers are granted

Planning for ROADflow heatmap vehicle trials in Denmark commences

Banned turn detection system successfully trailled on a live junction in Bristol

Six successful user groups held in 2014, please get in contact if you would like to receive an invitation to the next user group ROAD.flow@sea.co.uk

Welcome to the Cohort plcCohort has acquired Marlborough Communications Limited (“MCL”) MCL will join Cohort’s existing subsidiaries, MASS, SCS and SEA as the fourth member of the Group.

Systems Engineering Assessment LtdBeckington Castle, 17 Castle CornerBeckington, Nr Frome, Somerset BA11 6TA

Telephone: +44 1373 852 000 Fax: +44 1373 831 133 Email: info@sea.co.uk

www.sea.co.uk

For more information scan the qr code with your smartphone

Jeans for Genes dayThe staff at SEA ditched the business attire for jeans to raise funds for Genetic Disorders UK, the charity that aims to transform the lives of children with genetic disorders.

The 3 Peaks challengeOur team completed the 3 peaks challenge in 23 hours and 28 minutes. They suffered some painful injuries and range of weather from sunshine to snow. Huge congratulations to them for rising to this challenge and raising a staggering £6,935 for a great cause. The team also received the ‘Fundraiser of the month’ award from the RNRMC.

a Cohort plc company

MCL provides the Group with capability to offer fully integrated electronic warfare, communications and intelligence solutions to the UK Ministry of Defence and other customers.

MCL is a specialist supplier of electronic warfare, communications and surveillance technology to UK and overseas customers, with over 30 years’ experience in supporting the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) programmes. It is headquartered in Surrey and has 26 employees engaged in sourcing, supplying and supporting advanced technology equipment.

Andrew Thomis, Chief Executive Officer of Cohort, said: “The acquisition of MCL is an important step forward for Cohort. Our objective is to accelerate growth by augmenting our current offering and enhancing the breadth of solutions we provide. We believe that MCL has great potential and a clear and sustainable competitive advantage, and we are excited about the opportunities that the business can generate as part of Cohort.“

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.