Ais Chosen To Supply Imu For Excalibur Issue 2, November 2009

Transcript

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)