1. technology and computing

Issue 2, November 2009
AIS chosen to supply IMU for Excalibur
AIS Plymouth has extended its business on Excalibur and is now contracted to supply the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
for the remainder of the current production block. This is an ongoing contract from Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS)
to supply a replacement IMU for the production run of Excalibur precision, autonomously-guided, long-range artillery
system.
This latest win means AIS replaces the existing supplier on the final 596 units of the total 1400+ production run of Block
1a1. In September 2008, the Company won a Supplier Excellence award from RMS in recognition of its exceptional
performance throughout the previous year supplying SiARS® to the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) programme.
Stuart Cooper, AIS Business Director, Military Sensors said:
“There have been a number of *press releases in the US on this subject.
These were prompted by the latest set of 9 firings conducted with SiIMU02®
which achieved 100% success and unprecedented accuracy. The total
number of firings carried out is over 60, with no failures identified. This is
a major achievement for all at AIS Plymouth and has significantly raised
the AIS profile in our market place.”
British Engineering Excellence Awards 2009
AIS was highly commended in the New Product of the Year
(Electronic) category of the inaugural British Engineering Excellence
Awards (BEEAs) ceremony held earlier this month at the Globe
Theatre in London. The SiIMU02® design for the Excalibur projectile
had been nominated for this prestigious award, and AIS was pipped
at the post by an innovative internet video streaming device.
The judges said “This was the toughest category and we had to debate
for some time before finally falling on a single winner. All the shortlisted
entries could have won on another day.”
This is a significant achievement, not just for the SiIMU02® team, but
provides national recognition for the whole of the wider engineering
team at Plymouth. Congratulations to everyone involved.
(Stuart pictured far right with Peter Armstrong AIS VP BD, Colonel Ole
Knudsen, US Army, Steve Bennett RMS Excalibur Program Manager. Mike
Ferguson RMS REA, Jim Chapman AIS VP UK and some of the Plymouth
Excalibur Team)
AIS has the only proven, gun hard IMU available today. Capable
of withstanding 20,000g during firing, the IMU remains fully
functional – providing reliable, consistent and precise guidance
of the munition. Our gun hard IMUs have also equipped RMS’s
ERGM (Extended Range Guided Munition).
Ian Scaysbrook receiving the BEEA
for AIS at the Globe Theatre, London
further information can be found at:
*http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1353&pagetemplate=release
www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4210961&c=AME&s=LAN
www.defpro.com/news/details/8961/
www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/08/05/Raytheon-tests-prove-Excalibur-reliable/UPI-73841249493410/
www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4221786&c=AME&s=LAN
www.battle-technology.com/exhibitions.asp?key=60&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_content=263896000&utm_cam
paign=DSEI+DAY+3+_+diktdd&utm_term=AIS+DELIVERS+1000TH+IMU02+FOR+EXCALIBUR
Page 2
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Our Business
Hawk Procurement visits AIS
Plymouth
VP BD elected to West of England
Aerospace Forum (WEAF) Board
Mike Robinson (Procurement Group Leader) and Julia
Kopec (Procurement Manager) of BAE Systems Hawk
Procurement on a recent visit to Plymouth (8 July).
Plymouth-based Vice President of Business Development,
Peter Armstrong (pictured), has been elected to the Board of
the WEAF. The WEAF is a membership trade association that
champions and supports the interests of the aerospace and
defence industry in the South West of England.
Here they are just about
to get a guided tour
of the manufacturing
facility. During their visit
they flew the TERPROM®
demonstrator and rode
the Segway.
Project Manager Gary
Kittle of AIS said:
“We gained some useful
information and we
anticipate a couple of
Requests for Quotations
(RFQs) for future business.”
WEAF collaborates with partners
to provide critical support
services such as export and
marketing opportunities at major
international trade exhibitions, like
Farnborough and Paris (see page 8).
It also enjoys close links with the
MoD.
The WEAF aim is to assist
companies to improve their
competitiveness and grow the industry. To this end, WEAF runs
innovative Supply Chain programmes, networking and training
events. It also actively encourages skills development and leads
key steering groups within the aerospace and defence industry.
ISO 9001:2000 / AS9100B - Heath
Plymouth Quality assessment
The yearly surveillance audit was completed in Heath on April 30
with no reported findings. Roy Sabo, Quality Systems Manager
reported, “I got a real sense from the two auditors, based on their
questioning, that they truly believe that our system here is not only
compliant, but very robust and capable of meeting our growing
business base, as well as the new challenges that lay ahead of us.”
The biannual ISO 9001:2000 Lloyds Register Quality Assurance
(LRQA) assessment was conducted in September. The core
theme of the assessment was the transition to the updated
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, BaaN VI, and linking
this with SiIMU02® planning, procurement, manufacture and
software design & development. No corrective actions were
raised and three scopes for improvement were noted.
Summary of AIS 2009 news so far….
AIS Delivers 1000th IMU02 and Enters High Rate Production for Excalibur
AIS has delivered its 1000th IMU02 unit...
AIS Launches New 4:1 Miniaturised IMU - Less Than 1 Cubic Inch In Size
At DSEI this year Atlantic Inertial Systems (AIS) is launching its new miniature silicon
Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) known as ‘MinIM’...
ESA Tests Miniature Gyro Sensor For Sentinel 3
The European Space Agency (ESA) is testing a solid-state gyro sensor that it says will be
the smallest ever flown in space...
AIS Supplies Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for Excalibur
Atlantic Inertial Systems UK was delighted to read that Raytheon Company fired two
precision-guided projectiles from a Paladin gun system...
Magazine Contacts
Please send contributions to:
Editor Anthea Brooks +44 (0)1752 723024
[email protected]
Features Editor Sarah Selwyn +44 (0)1752 723368
[email protected]
AIS TERPROM® offers extended capabilities for military and ‘first responder’
operations
Latest developments in AIS’s TERPROM® Digital Terrain System increase support for the
pilot in critical military close air support operations...
AIS launches new, solid state MEMS inertial systems technology with twice the
performance
The next generation of ruggedized solid state Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems
(MEMS) inertial systems was launched at the Paris Airshow....
Atlantic Inertial Systems wins order in support of Northrop Grumman AAQ-24
DIRCM
AIS has been awarded a contract worth $5M to supply the Control Indicator Unit (CIU)
and associated spares for Northrop Grumman’s AAQ-24 system....
AIS Demonstrates the TERPROM® Digital Terrain Navigation System
The TERPROM® digital terrain system .....at the Paris Airshow....
AIS Demonstrates the TERPROM® Digital Terrain Navigation System for
Helicopters and Fixed Wing
Atlantic Inertial Systems (AIS) will exhibit its TERPROM® digital terrain system......at this
year’s Avalon Airshow in Melbourne, Australia....
For more information go to: www.atlanticinertial.com
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Page 3
Unmanned Airborne Vehicle (UAV)
Unmanned Airborne Vehicles
(UAVs) feature in the news nearly
every day, performing roles that
used to need a manned aircraft.
But what are they?
UAVs are remotely piloted or self-piloted
aircraft that can carry cameras, sensors,
communications equipment or other
payloads. They have been used in a
reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering
role since the 1950s, and more challenging
roles are envisioned, including combat
missions.
It turns out that these remarkable objects are
far more diverse than their manned relatives,
ranging from miniature vehicles that look
like mechanical dragonflies to aircraft that
look like their manned relatives without the
cockpit canopy.
One of the most interesting vehicles has
been developed by Prox Dynamics in
Norway. It’s a tiny helicopter weighing in at
less than ½ an ounce but, in this package,
there is a fully functional Inertial Navigation
System (INS), camera data link and flight
control system. Videos on their website
show it sneaking in through a window to
photograph blackboards.
visit: http://www.proxdynamics.com/news/
At the other end of the spectrum is the
Watchkeeper system. At nearly ½ a ton, it
is a completely different animal with vast
capabilities. Carrying high definition cameras
and a synthetic aperture radar, it provides
vital real time intelligence to support the
troops in the field.
But it is the urban environment that presents
the real challenges for the future. There
is an urgent demand for systems that
can inform an individual soldier what lies
around the next corner, and for those which
provide the battle field commander with the
complete picture. Precision navigation in this
environment is the real challenge.
Current systems rely heavily on the Global
Positioning System (GPS) but, deep in urban
canyons, GPS is not always available and can
also be jammed by a technically savvy enemy.
The small size of UAVs prevents the use of
highly accurate Laser INSs. What is needed is
very small, lightweight, low power solution to
this problem.
RAVEN UAV
This is where AIS comes in. We already make
MEMS-based IMUs that meet the weight,
power and size requirement. Our TERPROM®
terrain referenced navigation system operates
without the use of GPS. There are also other
complimentary technologies in the market
place that can be added to increase the
system capability.
AIS supplies equipment for other UAV
projects, such as the BAE Systems HERTI and
the Northrop Grumman Killer Bee in the US.
AIS recently gave a paper on TERPROM®
technology for UAVs at the Bristol ‘Unmanned
Air Vehicle Systems’ Conference, and work
is underway to analyse how we can most
effectively address the potential market.
Page 4
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Technology Focus
Growing Totowa
New 18,000 Square Foot Facility
The AIS Development Center in Totowa is an 18,000
square foot facility which contributes significantly to
the Company’s research, design and development
activities. It contains offices, an open plan office area
and roughly one half is given over to prototype build,
tool making, assembly, integration, calibration and
test. Totowa Development Center has installed
a new 2-axis table and upgraded another to
enable the high rates required to calibrate
and test SiIMU02® Inertial Measurement Units
(IMUs). This additional capability means that US
customers who want to perform a confidence
testing on a SiIMU02® after a trial, say, will
be able to use the Totowa facility instead of
having to return the units to the UK. “This is
all part of providing outstanding support to our
customers” said Dr Geoff Henderson, Totowa
Site Director.
AIS Development Center
Acutronic equipment within facility
Engineering Conferences 2009
Engineering Conferences were held at Cheshire on
11th-12th March and Heath on 16th-17th
September.
The AIS Horizon Awards is a global award scheme
which recognises and rewards excellence in successful,
innovative ideas. The scheme’s mission statement is:
“We will encourage new ideas, new technologies and new
ways of working to secure sustained competitive advantages
for our company.”
Engineering and Business Development representatives
from Cheshire, Heath, Plymouth and Totowa participated in
the conferences. Achievements at Cheshire included the
development of a technology roadmap to aggressively grow
the business.
Championed by the CEO and sponsored by the VP UK
and VP US Operations, the scheme rewards innovation to
individuals or teams across the business. Innovation is the
key to business success
and the company
wants to recognise all
employees involved
in implementing
innovative ideas that
demonstrate proven
business success and/or
business improvement.
At Heath, engineers were asked to present their proposals and
ideas for Internal Research and Development (IRAD).
These were then reviewed and prioritised for 2010 investment.
For more information,
check the intranet.
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Page 5
Technology Focus Continued
New IMU design at Plymouth
can fit into a soldier’s boot
MinIM™, the latest innovation from the Military
Sensors design team, is a tiny 1-cubic inch
IMU that is only one quarter the size of the
Company’s established production MEMS IMUs.
MinIM™ is a ruggedised device which uses the latest
capacitive technology to make it easier to manufacture and
keep production costs low. Its small size and cost make the
new mini IMU ideally suited to meet the growing demands
for reliable navigation of smaller guided munitions and
lightweight unmanned aircraft. It is so small, it could be
fitted in the heels of *soldiers’ boots to keep track on them
at all times.
MinIM™ adds to AIS’s highly successful range of silicon
military IMUs and, as the nature of military operations
change, there are sure to be growing demands for very
small and lightweight control systems.
* To see the Defense News article on MinIM™ visit:
defensenews.com/blogs/dsei/2009/09/10/uk-firm-claims-theseboots-are-made-for-talking
SiIMU02® firing trials
Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ, Belgium) and Roketsan
(Turkey) have confirmed successful firings,
using SiIMU02® for their 70mm rocket (A-Darter
Air-to-Air Missile) flight trial, successful. Denel
Dynamics (South Africa) described the SiIMU02®
performance as flawless.
G5 order for K1 Main Battle
Tank
Doosan Mottrol’s Defence Systems Division,
located in South Korea, has qualified the AIS G5
(1.0 6X Model) for use in the control system of
the K1 Main Battle Tank. The gyro is a rugged
and reliable sensor in severe environments.
This is only the second gyroscope to qualify for use on the
tank because of the high shock environment. Qualification
of the G5 led Doosan Mottrol to place a large multi-year
order for the device.
(Steve Kaye US BD team, Cheshire)
SiNAV® firing trial success
Two SiNAV02® units were recently returned to Plymouth following a firing trial in Germany. Despite having been launched
from a mortar and left submerged in a peat bog for several weeks before being recovered, both units were tested and
found to be fully operational and within specification. This is the first of a series of trials to be conducted as part of a key
programme for SiNAV® and this result will contribute to the Customer’s confidence in our product.
For more information on SiNAV®, visit: www.atlanticinertial.com/index.php?/products/navigation-terrain-avoidance/
Meet the new Plymouth Intellectual Property team
Comprising Alan Malvern: Senior consultant engineer AIS,
Lucy Wojcik: Fully qualified UK and EP Patent Attorney,
Mary Downey: Impetus IP Limited, IP Formalities Specialist,
registered qualified CIPA Patent Administrator and
Sue Grant: Impetus IP Limited, Managing Director, IP Specialist
Together, they look after IP issues, patents and trademarks.
If you need any help or have any questions, please contact
Alan Malvern in the first instance.
Find out more about the team at: http://baseplydoors/tikiwiki/ip_team
Contact details:
email
telephone
Alan Malvern
[email protected]
01752 722320
Lucy Wojcik
[email protected]
01895 820681
Mary Downey [email protected]
01822 870203
Sue Grant
01822 870203
[email protected]
pictured from left to right, Mary Downey, Lucy Wojcik, Alan Malvern,
Sue Grant
Page 6
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Anniversaries and Achievements
AUSA – May 1, 2009
Annual Spring Meeting & 50th Anniversary Celebration
Corporate Member Recognition
The First Region Patriotic Service Award was presented to Atlantic Inertial Systems. Mr James Shoemaker,
Director of Business Development, USA accepted the award.
The citation read “Atlantic Inertial Systems joined the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) as a sustaining
member in 2008. Their support of AUSA’s CT Chapter and our soldiers includes:
• Sponsorship of the UCONN ROTC cadets at last year’s AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington DC. The cadets ran in the Army Ten-miler and attended the exhibits as well as Region and Chapter events. It is always a wonderful experience for the cadets.
• Participation in 2008 Stand Down ‘Connecticut Cares’
Every year, the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs
conducts a full day event called ‘Stand Down’, to provide
free assistance and service information to homeless veterans
of our state. 16 employees from AIS volunteered their time
and talents to this effort and I understand they will
participate again this year.
• This corporation is always doing something – coat drives, a
giving tree at Christmas, Charity basket raffle for veteransjust to mention a few - are held at their facility throughout
the year. This year 100% of the proceeds from their
Annual Golf Outing will go to the Veterans Home in
Rocky Hill.
• Thank you for your support and keep up the good work.”
The award was presented by AUSA First Region President, Norman Harkins
and AUSA Connecticut Chapter, Executive Director, Elaine Krauss.
G5 Clean Room Grand Opening Celebration at Cheshire
On September 8th, Bob Teulings cut the ribbon to mark the
grand opening of the new and improved G5 Clean Room.
Contractors and employees who contributed to the successful
transition were invited to the ceremony.
The existing G5 Clean Room has been upgraded to reflect
AIS’s ‘World Class Status’ and will present the Company’s new
image to our customers. In May, planning and preparations
began to transform the old STARS/STAARS clean room into
the new facility. Workstations and supplies were ordered for
the new ‘MI-OI’, including cameras and lenses.
After his ‘preview’ tour of the new facility a few weeks earlier,
Dr Geoff Henderson, Site Director, Totowa said “The new G5
Gyro Clean Room is a purpose built, ergonomic environment,
designed specifically for the production of these precision products.
It is a great example of the type of state-of-the-art facility required
in today’s competitive and performance-critical marketplace”.
As part of the plant-wide celebration, free coffee and tea
was available to all employees. A special “thank you” and
“congratulations” on a job well done goes out to employees
and contractors for their substantial contributions towards the
success of this transition.
A taste of Japan at Plymouth
Silicon Sensing was proud to celebrate its 10th Birthday at the beginning of June. As a small token of thanks to everyone in
AIS who has contributed to its success over the 10 years, we offered the chance to sample Japanese food in the Restaurant.
Page 7
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Anniversaries and Achievements
Nick gives back to the community
Nick Tarasovic (pictured left), Director of Supply Chain, Cheshire was on
TV March 10, 2009 promoting a fundraiser called “Men Who Cook” to
raise funds for a charity called “TEAM”. The TEAM mission is to connect
individuals and families with solutions that lead to well-being, selfsufficiency and full participation in the community.
On March 21, TEAM hosted its 2nd Annual Men Who Cook fundraiser at
Warsaw Park in Ansonia. The evening consisted of a silent auction, dancing
and buffet of culinary dishes prepared by 50 male volunteer chefs. Based
on the event’s success last year, this fundraiser was expected to raise more
than $30.000.
Plymouth site Emergency Response
Team (ERT) celebrates 25th anniversary
Plymouth long service awards
Plymouth ERT is celebrating its 25th year. The team is made up
of fully trained fire wardens and first aiders who can respond to
a range of emergency situations at very short notice. The team
was formed at a time when site fire risks were much greater
than today. Our insurers demanded a fully trained fire response
team, kitted with breathing apparatus, that could respond to
any emergency situation. Over the years, there has been a
number of incidents that could have escalated had it not been
for the timely intervention of the ERT.
YEARS
YEARS
S
O NSE
ERGE
M
E
Y RE
SP
NC
As well as providing a necessary risk reduction service to the
business, the ERT volunteers also perform regular exercises to
ensure that our emergency plans are fit for purpose and that
everyone on site is appropriately protected. The team meets
up for social and team building events on a regular basis
and enjoy a strong
sense of comradeship.
TEAM
We are recruiting
now and anyone
wishing to join this
elite group, as either a Fire
Warden or a First Aider,
should contact
Richard Eastwood.
The annual long service awards celebration was held
at the Duke of Cornwall hotel in March. 26 Employees
attended, with their guests, along with members of the
senior management team. Following dinner and a lively
quiz, Jim Chapman, UK VP, awarded employees with a
certificate to mark their 20 years.
AIS wins Plymouth
Health at Work
Platinum Award
AIS’s commitment to health
and wellbeing at work has been
recognised following a survey
conducted by a representative
of the Plymouth National Health
Service and Public Health
Development unit. The company
has been awarded the highest
possible level (Platinum) within the
Health at Work Award Scheme, which is assessed on
elements such as positive mental health, work-life balance,
healthy eating and employee support services.
Page 8
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Business Development
DSEi
Army Aviation Association
of America (AAAA)
London
Nashville, Tennessee
The Europe and International BD teams have just attended another major exhibition –
Defence Systems and Equipment international (DSEi), London. Our key launch product
was the new Mini IMU (MinIM™).
Highlights included:
- Signing a partnering agreement with Denel
- Launch of MinIM at a gathering where we served mini pasties and cream teas!
- Visit by a Brazilian 3 star general, 2 star Air Vice Marshal and entourage. They expressed great interest in TERPROM®, asked a number of pertinent questions and want further briefings soon
- Visit by the US Foreign Comparative Test team, US Army. They are very interested in our
ability to offer a gun hard mini IMU as they need some help on the “precision” elements of
the PGK (Precision Guidance Kit)
- Keen interest in the mini IMU from MBDA’s Head of Advanced Technologies Future Missile
Systems, Graham Wallis
AIS exhibited at the AAAA annual
convention held in Nashville, Tennessee.
The conference featured everything
from UAVs to Attack, Utility and Heavy
Lift Helicopters. The show included
opportunities to have discussions with
pilots, program managers and prime
contractors, all in an effort to provide
better support to the US Army Aviation
Soldier. Customer interests centered on
our TERPROM® and MEMS products.
The US Team also exhibited at AUVSI’s
Unmanned Systems North America 2009
in Washington DC.
Avalon 2009 Australian Air Show
Melbourne, Australia
AIS exhibited in the UK pavilion at Avalon 2009 and demonstrated the TERPROM®
digital terrain system, designed to provide non-GPS navigation and obstacle
avoidance for both fixed wing and helicopter platforms. Visitors to the stand
included the RAAF Director of Safety (to discuss a recent wire strike by Hawk
aircraft), the British High Commissioner for Australia, and Indian and UAE
delegations.
We visited BAE Systems Australia to discuss inertial systems for UAV platforms and
exhibited at the Future Artillery Conference in London, where Col Knudson, US Army
spoke highly of the AIS IMU.
100th International Paris Air Show
Le Bourget - June 2009
AIS exhibited within the WEAF stand (see page 2 ‘VP BD elected to WEAF Board’) at the
100th Paris Air Show. Overall, the show was a little quiet and even the flying display was
reduced - apparently due to the high cost of transporting, and then flying, cutting edge
aircraft designs. However, due to the hard work up front by the BD team, we were able
to deem the show a success, with meetings every day and over 150 contacts made. Well,
those that left their cards were counted, others preferred to remain anonymous!
We also received a visit from JF Lehman, that is Mr John Lehman himself. He took the
stick to fly TERPROM® and we also briefed Quentin Davis MP, UK Minister for Defence
Equipment and Support, on how a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) gets by in the UK
Defence industry. Paris is a mix of civil and military aviation, and visitor interest ranged from
possible TERPROM® customers such as Aermacchi, through some of our current European
customers for Military Sensors, as well as potential users of our IMUs in future weapon and
UAV programmes. As ever, the BD team has a large number of contacts to follow up.
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Page 9
Business Development
IDEF 9th International Defence Industry Fair
Istanbul, Turkey
AIS exhibited at the IDEF09 International Defence Industry Fair held in Istanbul,
April 2009. The Turkish defence industry is transitioning from a license producer to
a technology owner ie, moving away from importing whole defence systems to
designing them and, therefore, it is a perfect market for AIS.
Our main aim in the exhibition was to create interest in AIS products and generate
new contacts across the Turkish defence industry. Currently, we have a longstanding
relationship with Rocketsan but little else. We had great success – lots of interest was
generated, including visits from Baroness Taylor, Minister for Defence Equipment and
Support and Mr Murad Bayar, Head of the Turkish Defence Industries Undersecretariat
(pictured second from the right).
Out and about with Silicon Sensing Systems
Satellite 2009
Washington DC
Silicon Sensing exhibited at Satellite 2009 in Washington DC with a new pop-up
display booth. Satellite 2009 had over 280 exhibitors offering services and products
for the satellite-enabled market. This annual 3-day exhibition is attached to a
conference. The CRS03-02 has proved very successful in the on-the-move mobile
antenna market and the aim of this show was to widen the customer base in this
market with Silicon Sensing’s established and new products.
Caroline Langmaid and Kevin Swain pictured right.
Sensor + Test 2009
Nuremberg, Germany
Silicon Sensing exhibited at for the Sensor + Test 2009 in Nuremberg, Germany
The new miniature inertial sensing module with SPI-bus digital interface, the DMU02,
was launched at the show, attracting much interest.
The DMU offers a simple-to-use sensing system for complete motion sensing and
control in three-dimensional space. The DMU offers unsurpassed accuracy and
reliability in an affordable and compact package. Angular rate (pitch, roll and yaw)
plus translational acceleration (longitudinal, lateral and vertical) data is supplied by
the DMU02 every millisecond, meeting the demands of highly agile control systems.
Andrew Derbyshire, new Commercial Business Development Manager at Silicon Sensing joined
Andy Hughes and Steve Clarke pictured left.
Page 10
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Customer Focus
Recognition for 100% delivery &
quality performance at Heath
Heath’s SRMA Cost & Management
proposal for Space Industry
As the original equipment manufacturer for a key
Heath recently submitted a comprehensive proposal
to an intended initial Space Rate Measurement Assembly
(SRMA) product launch customer. The customer desires
to position SRMA as a Commodity IRU for the Space
Industry, and has committed to provide investment
(NRE / Qualification) funds for this purpose. The launch
customer intends to forward the salient SRMA design &
performance capabilities to their Government partners
and selected consultants (non-disclosure agreements
are in-place), and is actively collaborating with Heath
to engage potential additional prime satellite
(investment) partners.
instrument in the MMIII ICBM guidance set, the
Heath team provides a variety of spare parts for the
USAF and Boeing customers. Heath has completed
over 90 individual contract deliveries that included
approximately 8,200 hardware items since 2001. Those
deliverables were all completed 100% on-time, with no
customer or warranty returns to date. A luncheon was
held on May 5th in recognition of the core team - Warren
Chase, Jim Francis, Robert Forester, Mark Gwinn, John
Kinser, Ralph Lane, Janice Le, Carolyn
Matthews, Matthew
Nunamaker, Rodney
Poehler, Roy Sabo,
Nancy Teeters and
John Wallace - are all
part of the AIS, Boeing,
and Contractor labor
team that were directly
responsible for this
outstanding performance
record.
Heath
completes
FY’08
major
milestones
Heath successfully
completed all FY ’08
Major Milestones for its
MM III Spares ‘Drop-In
Replacement’ Program
Plymouth
Avionics
team receives
customer
thanks
Two letters of thanks have
been received this year by the
Avionics team. The first was
from Wing Commander Dancey
(Head of Aerosystems, RAF
Cranwell) for presentations given by Nick Wilkinson and
Andy Price to RAF students on the Aerosystems course.
The second was from BAE Systems for support given
by the Navigation team to the Royal Saudi Air Force
Tornado programme. Well done and thank you to all
those involved in both of these activities.
USAF, Northrop Grumman
and Boeing Integrated
Program Team (IPT)
participated in an on-site
April 15th-16th Technical
Interchange Meeting (TIM)
at Heath. The IPT concluded
Heath had successfully
achieved all FY ’08 major milestones for this dropin replacement program. Recent detailed Program
Planning Cost Estimates (PPCE) developed by the IPT
projects significant go-forward development potential
over the next three years that will lead to a planned
7 year production and spares program.
TERPROM® celebrates 20 years
The TERPROM® digital terrain system is 20 years old this year and, on November 5,
a series of events were held at Plymouth to celebrate its achievements.
Employees flew the TERPROM® demonstrator, enjoyed a themed lunch and watched
a firework display at the end of the working day.
Atlantic Wave November 2009
Page 11
People Focus
Wall of Honor - Cheshire
Cheshire has created a Wall of Honor showing our men and women who serve their country and also honoring employee family
members who gave the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The middle group on the plaque is a photo of our active
employees who have served in the military. Other photos are of employees’ sons, daughters, nieces and nephews who have also
served, or are serving, in the military.
(picture courtesy of Steve Kay)
Heath Health &
Wellness fair
Cheshire - Red Day for Women
AIS Inc is working with the
charity American Heart Association.
This group photo taken on Friday
February 6th, which was “National
Go Red for Women Day”. Employees
wore red to show their support the
for the American Heart Association
and raise awareness of heart disease
in women. In the United States, heart
disease is the number one killer of
women. We raised $535.00 from
the sale of ‘Red Dress’ pins which
everyone purchased and wore on
the day.
The first Health and Wellness
fair was conducted at the
Heath Site on May 12. The local
hospital provided professional
health care experts that
performed cholesterol and
triglyceride screenings, blood
sugar levels and blood pressure
readings. Additionally, they
gave employees individual
body mass index information
and offered a wide variety
of literature and printed
information on various health
topics. Approximately 30%
of the Heath employees
participated.
Marines ask: Are
you up to this
CHICKS challenge?
On April 26, teams from South West England competed against 42
Commando Royal Marines in the Commando Challenge 2009. It took
place at Bickleigh Barracks with the aims to raise funds for their local
chosen charity Country Holidays for Inner-City Kids (CHICKS) which
organises free respite breaks for underprivileged children. Each team
rotates through various challenges ranging from archery, laser shooting
and fitness training through to the famous climbing wall.
The AIS team (pictured right) came 2nd overall, so well done lads!
Page 12
Atlantic Wave November 2009
People Focus Continued
Plymouth has re-selected St Luke’s as its 2009 charity and has raised
in excess of £500 so far this year through various events including
the Japanese lunch to celebrate 10 years of the Joint Venture Henry
Thomas ran the Plymouth half marathon and we entered a team for
the St Luke’s Midnight Walk on 1st August. Launched in 2007 and open
to 2,500 women, it started and finished at the famous Plymouth Argyle
Football Club. The team
enjoyed an organised and
carefully marshalled 13 mile
walk in and around the City of
Plymouth.
Cycle to Work scheme launched
Plymouth has introduced a Cycle to Work scheme for
employees. The scheme is a government initiative that aims
to encourage people to use bicycles for commuting to work.
Employees can purchase a bicycle (up to £1,000) through AIS
via ‘Cyclescheme’ and this enables the employee to benefit
from a generous discount incentive, as well as spread the
cost over 12 months. So far, 30 employees have taken up the
scheme with many more expected.
The team left to right: Julie
Hammond, Louise Snell, Chrissie
May, Anne Perry, Jo Gibb and Claire
Brimming raised over £600 in total.
Café Gyro wins 3rd in
National Awards
Nick and the team came in 3rd place
overall in the National Customer
Satisfaction Awards run by Compass
group, parent company of Eurest.
Nick still can’t believe they didn’t win!
Heart Walk 2009
Plymouth - health promotion events
Fit for Work / Fit for Life
The May health event focused on personal fitness and how it can improve
our lives at home and work. It launched our new relationship with the
University College Plymouth St Mark and St John (UCP Marjon) and the
excellent *facilities available to AIS employees. The college is currently
undergoing a huge investment programme in its sports facilities
Men’s health promotion
118 Cheshire employees participated, with family and
friends, in the Greater New Haven Heart Walk on May 17,
2009. This was a 3 mile walk, the purpose of which is to raise
funds and awareness for Heart Disease. $13,016.76 was raised
in donations. Funds raised will be used for research.
The event was held on November 4 with blood pressure and cholesterol
tests , body mass index checks, in addition to general advice on issues
such as testicular and prostate cancer, stress, diet and exercise.
To coincide with the event, we also launched two initiatives with Marjon.
Sport England has matched our sponsorship funding with the University
and we can now offer free sports coach training and qualifications for
anyone interested. AIS has also been invited to enter teams for Marjon
Intramural Sports leagues and festivals. There will be MIXED five-a-side
football and MIXED seven-a-side netball. AIS kit will be provided.
*Further Marjon information at: www.marjon.ac.uk/ucpmarjonsport/sportscentre
World
Environment
Day event
Plymouth
Summer
barbeque
Cheshire sponsored
a Household Hazardous
Waste & Used Electronics
Collection for AIS employees
on June 5 2009 in order to
further raise employees’
environmental awareness
and help to keep our homes
and environment clean.
The sun came out and
about 150 people enjoyed
this year’s summer barbeque
on August 13. Nick and the
catering team provided the
food and refreshments –
including whole hog roast,
homemade burgers and
sweet chilli chicken.
St George’s Day lunch
23 April is St George’s Day (England’s patron saint) and it
was celebrated for the first time at the Plymouth site with
a traditional lunch in the Restaurant. Beechwood Primary
School children
brought along
their artwork and
made a colourful
display depicting
the legend of St
George and the
dragon.
(pictured right)