June 11, 2010
SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica Company, has signed a teaming agreement with Universal Engineering Company Ltd (Charlestown) to be the exclusive supplier and integrator of mission and sensor systems for the Company’s Ranger series of vehicles.
The agreement means that SELEX Galileo’s Mission Systems architecture and Indirect Vision System (IVS) technology will be the default choice when bidding Ranger into armoured vehicle programmes, with the two companies working together on marketing and tenders.
SELEX Galileo will integrate a range of critical systems onto the Ranger, further boosting the vehicle’s already very high crew protection capabilities. These include the Company’s local situational awareness system, remote weapon station and driver’s night vision system. Together, the systems provide a 24 hour situational awareness capability for the crews with the ability to respond to threats while remaining under armour. For each specific vehicle programme, SELEX Galileo will also integrate third party and GFE mission equipment as necessary to meet the individual customer requirements.
The technology load is an expanded version of the Indirect Vision System (IVS) which SELEX Galileo has already installed on the British Army’s Ridgeback and Mastiff Vehicles, technology that is now battle proven on current operations. The system provides 360 degree visibility and can be easily reconfigured for different missions using the Company’s “plug and play” modular camera interface.
Notes to editors
Ranger was launched in June 2009 and has since been extensively tested. With a design philosophy that emphasises survivability, mobility and payload, the vehicle has been engineered to protect crews from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and mines, and is the first vehicle to include STANAG 4569 level 4 protection as a minimum.
SELEX Galileo began production deliveries of their Indirect Vision System for installation onto the British Army’s Mastiff and Ridgeback fleets in February 2009, and the system is now in service on the British Army’s protected mobility fleet. Over the years, SELEX Galileo systems have been or still are in service with British Forces on Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, Bulldog armoured personnel carriers, Ridgeback Protected Patrol Vehicles, Viking vehicles and the Panther Command and Liaison vehicles.
Dateline Weymouth: today.
New Generation of Protected Patrol Vehicle launched into Europe
Today’s battlefield is indeed hybrid and extremely hostile terrain with the predominant threat coming from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), proxy bombs, suicide bombers explosively forged projectiles and land mines. Universal Engineering has developed the RANGER family of armoured vehicles to overmatch this series of threats without compromising mobility or payload. The highly protected vehicle has been designed from first principles with crew survivability to the fore and the monocoque troop survival capsule is at the very heart of the machine.
RANGER project director John Scott said: ‘RANGER represents the next generation of protection, mobility and mission functionality. A complete family of vehicles including 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 variants is available to ensure a broad spectrum of roles from troop carrier to ambulance and from patrol/reconnaissance to EOD support: RANGER is the solution to overmatching both today’s and tomorrow’s threats.’
Amazingly, Scott delivered the prototype vehicle in exactly one year since the decision to commit private venture investment was taken by Universal Engineering’s owners. Since then 2 more pre-production vehicles have been built – a further 6x6 and a new 8x8. These 2 vehicles incorporate significant modifications and improvements instigated as the result of informed feedback and potential user suggestions harvested over the past 12 months of demonstrations and trials.
‘The key to achieving this feat has been the close working relationship established with our partners in the supply chain.’ Scott said. ‘Creation UK, our design house, and HR4 Limited (ILS provider) have been involved since day one. We have also enjoyed outstanding advice and backup from MAN who provide the 540 horse power engine, ZF and Webster Drives who make the gearbox and drive train respectively, and Horstman Defence, the manufacturer of the vehicle’s suspension system. Ranger will now enter a period of intensive testing to demonstrate and prove the vehicle’s inherent reliability, maintainability and support solutions’.
Universal have recently also teamed up with SELEX Galileo who will provide the mission systems for the Ranger vehicle. SELEX Galileo will integrate a range of critical systems onto the Ranger, further boosting the vehicle’s already very high crew protection capabilities. These include the Company’s local situational awareness system, remote weapon station and driver’s night vision system. Together, the systems provide a 24 hour situational awareness capability with the ability to respond to threats while remaining under armour. For each specific vehicle programme, SELEX Galileo will also integrate third party and GFE mission equipment as necessary to meet the individual customer requirements.
RANGER will be seen for the first time on continental Europe at the Eurosatory Exhibition from 14 to 18 June and will also be centre-stage on the Universal Engineering stand at Defence Vehicle Dynamics exhibition on 23 and 24 June 2010.
Notes for Editors
Universal Engineering has been a supplier of components and systems to the UK MOD and many prime defence contractors for more than 50 years. ‘The quality, cost and performance of our products is widely recognised and we are proud of our achievements to date.’ Bill Broome, the Managing Director of Universal said. ‘RANGER represents a huge opportunity for the Company to present a whole vehicle system which is finely tuned to the needs of soldiers the world over on the contemporary battlefield.’
SELEX Galileo began production deliveries of their Indirect Vision System for installation onto the British Army’s Mastiff and Ridgeback fleets in February 2009, and the system is now in service on the British Army’s protected mobility fleet. Over the years, SELEX Galileo systems have been or still are in service with British Forces on Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, Bulldog armoured personnel carriers, Ridgeback Protected Patrol Vehicles, Viking vehicles and the Panther Command and Liaison vehicles.
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