Satellite positioning and communications is key to UAV and missile control generally. The origins of effecting time-keeping go back to the time of the Royal Observatory Greenwich commissioned by an Act of Parliament to solve the problem of longitude, in the end it was precision time-keeping that won, we visited this year and wrote all about it at ›› www.defenceintegration.org/di-summer-2008/23.html Pictured left is an extraordinary fusion of the old grandure of the Royal Observatory estate alongside the contemporary structure of the new Planetarium, fashioned from a single piece of zinc.
This year we also toured the 'off' off-road at Millbrook DVD also. A truly pulverised course after two business days of press and military tearing up the same real estate. We were taken in a 6 wheeled off-road truck by MAN to compliment our discussions in their business pavillion about the use of HUMS data to achieve efficiencies. Typical of HUMS data is the aspect of under-utlisation, human-machine interface data can be accumulated but who is there to analyse it. MAN are developing programs and solutions to analyse the data on behalf of the MOD to assess whether vehicles are being correctly driven to achieve maximum in-service life predictions and optimal fuel performances. Now, how would you like someone leaning over your shoulder telling you not to buzz the gearbox as the nice man from Lotus told me after inspecting the car diagnostics this year or tell you when you are under-revving and need to down shift.
Well, if it's the 18year old driving your family saloon, you'd probably like that quite a lot actually. We liked it too as you can see from the extra content we put online at: www.defenceintegration. org/di-summer- 2008/18d.html
