News


General Dynamics UK has invested £12 million in a new facility at its Oakdale site to support the SV programme


Winter 2011/12 Issue 14


Dynamics 5


EDGE UK Minister witnesses


support for SMEs The Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, the Right Hon Peter Luff MP, accompanied by Lt Gen Gary Coward, Chief of Materiel (Land), recently visited both of General Dynamics UK’s South Wales facilities to learn about the valuable work the Company is doing to support British Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the defence sector.


Mission Systems


Simulation deal for Lynx Wildcat


General Dynamics UK has been awarded a contract by Indra to support the development of a range of simulation equipment for the AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat helicopter.


The AW159 is the twin-engine, multi-role and utility helicopter chosen by the UK MoD to meet future maritime attack, surveillance and land reconnaissance requirements.


General Dynamics UK is already contracted by While at the EDGE UK® in Newbridge, Luff was introduced to a


number of SMEs by Dr Sandy Wilson, president and managing director of General Dynamics UK. These SMEs included Kodit, which develops asset management solutions, and Rolatube, whose Bistable Reeled Composite (BRC) technology can be used for military antennae.


The EDGE UK® facilitates General Dynamics UK’s search for


new technical ideas from SMEs and rapidly assesses whether such technologies can lead to enhanced or new products. Some solutions already in service and saving lives in theatre employ technologies developed at EDGE UK®


such as the new chat facility in Bowman 5.4. The Minister then toured the new purpose-built facility for the


new facility for the SV programme at the Oakdale campus, in which General Dynamics UK has invested £12 million of private venture money. The facility will feature systems integration labs for the testing and development of key elements of SV; garaging and delivery bays for development vehicles; facilities for SV partner companies and customers to work from; and meeting rooms and offices for the General Dynamics SV project team of over 300 employees. The SV family of vehicles is a top priority programme for the British Army and is essential to the MoD’s Future Force 2020 strategy.


“This is an impressive Company with a broad range of industrial


capability which is clearly being put to best use on a wide range of MoD projects and programmes,” said Luff. “I am especially pleased to see the very close working with Small and Medium Enterprises through the EDGE UK®


supply chain throughout the Company’s business model and its major programmes.”


facilities and across the wider


AgustaWestland for the development and manufacture of the Tactical Processor (including Bowman) and associated secure data transfer devices, as well as the Stores Management System (for the Naval version of the AW159) and the Tactical Data Link application.


Indra will provide state-of-the-art synthetic training


technology including two Full Mission Simulators (FMS), a Flight Training Device (FTD) and a Cockpit Procedures Trainer (CPT). All the simulators and trainers will be used to deliver Army or Royal Navy conversion and mission training. Each FMS will provide full motion simulation and will reproduce the acceleration, roll, and vibration effects associated with the helicopter in flight.


General Dynamics UK will develop simulation models


covering Bowman functionality for both variants of the helicopter and Air-to-Surface Weapons (ASW) for the naval variant. Following the development of the models, a team from General Dynamics UK will support the integration activities at the Indra facility in Madrid.


The simulators will be installed in the training centre


that AgustaWestland has been contracted to build at the Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton in Somerset, alongside operational Royal Navy and British Army AW159 Lynx Wildcat squadrons. A team from Mission Systems will support Indra during the installation and commissioning of the simulation equipment.


The simulation equipment will be operational and in


service to provide training for the Army from early 2013, and for the Royal Navy from early 2014.


Trusted to deliver


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