Cambridge military innovation deployed in Afghanistan
Cambridge innovation has helped improve capability for the RAF in Afghanistan.
Marshall SV – part of Marshall Land Systems – has played a lead role in creating a new air traffic control infrastructure which the UK MoD is establishing in the war zone.Instrument landing systems (ILS) in Afghanistan are being housed in shelters designed and produced by Marshall SV.
The units will increase the ILS and distance measuring equipment sustainment capability, primarily for the RAF’s fixed wing operations.
The contract for four shelters was placed by Thales UK to support an order from the Air Defence and Air Traffic Systems IPT at the MoD.
John Horton, the head of programmes for Thales ATM: said “Marshall SV has provided Thales and the MoD with an outstanding service that ensured the delivery of four equipment shelters to Afghanistan under extremely tight deadlines.
“In little over three months the shelters have been taken from a paper design to items delivered to site, satisfying all the MoD's requirements for air transport of the system.”
Peter Callaghan, chief executive of Marshall Land Systems said: “This contract confirms our ability to design and deliver quality protected workspaces for a wide variety of uses where climatic conditions are extremely tough, but the equipment inside needs to operate in a thermally stabilised environment.”
The ILS shelters are manufactured to sustain constant environmental conditions when ambient conditions range from the -42°C to +49°C, typical of conditions in Afghanistan.
The shelters house a range of highly accurate radio-navigation aids, provided by Thales, to determine an aircraft’s position by reference to instruments.
Each shelter accommodates two air-conditioning units and an electrical infrastructure to thermally stabilise and power up the radio-navigation aids.
The shelters can be transported by road, rail, sea and air and are compliant with the International Civil Aviation Authority regulations for air transport.
