SES: Thales Defence Systems - Pod-Mounted Synthetic Aperture Radar

Thales Defence Systems (Sensors Business) - selected SES to supply a cockpit control unit (CCU) for a pod-mounted Synthetic Aperture Radar (Pod SAR) flight demonstrator programme.

The CCU is mounted in the rear cockpit of a Tornado aircraft to control a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) via a serial interface and dedicated discrete signals; an integral display gives status feedback to the navigator.

Specialist Electronic Services (SES) adapted a proven, existing product and created a highly professional, close and flexible working relationship with Thales to produce a cockpit control solution that was delivered within a demanding timescale on budget.

The SES Cockpit Control Unit (CCU) is specifically designed for use in military aviation situations. It is configured for ease of fitting into standard cockpit apertures. The CCU has undergone the complete range of environmental testing, and is proven to be fit for flight. SES used a COTS+ approach, adapting one of its own generic products that has already been developed, tested and certified as a common-fit solution for use in extreme environment and high performance conditions. The benefits for the customer were that some ninety percent of the development work had already been done, which saved the customer risk, time and money. The COTS+ strategy that SES has developed aims to achieve the 'bespoke' solution that is needed, with the cost benefits of an almost off-the-shelf product. Using its design and programming skills along side certified components, SES can produce a solution where most of the proving process is completed before the project starts.

Meeting the specifications of the cockpit control unit meant making a number of changes to the standard SES unit, as Thales Engineering Manager, Kerry Halford, explained, "The enunciator displays needed to be changed and we wanted modifications to the front panel layout, to move and change some of the switches." Many of the switches on the CDU operate via micro-controllers, but operating radar transmitter equipment required some of the switches to be 'hardwired' direct to the equipment, to meet safety standards. The existing software fit was also adapted by SES to meet the specific requirements of the SAR operation controls. Mark Stinson, Operations Director at SES, initially introduced the Company, its products and services to the engineering team. When Thales produced a procurement specification, Kerry Halford and his team met with the lead engineers from SES to discuss any potential issues and agreed on how they could best be overcome.

From the engineering point of view, Kerry Halford sees the relationship with SES as a success; when Operations Director Mark Stinson said something would happen, it did. "You felt you could trust him and he was honest about what they could achieve. They delivered the goods on time and were helpful when we wanted design changes." The COTS+ philosophy that SES uses for its products means that the company is determined to provide an acceptable solution for its customers. Where Thales could not find an off-the-shelf product to meet its needs, SES tailored a solution to satisfy the requirement. As Kerry Halford recalls, "They bent over backward to make sure that we got what we wanted, and that we were happy with what we got."