MRSL
Home
Introduction
Input from Steve Bousfield
From its beginnings as an Instrument Maker in 1804, Elliott Automation (or Elliott Bros.(London) Ltd. To give it its official title), was by the 1960s in the forefront of what has become known as the digital revolution. Among other things it had developed the world’s first real-time computer with memory store in 1947 and was applying this technology to what is known today as Command and Control Systems. It had committed to building the UK’s first microelectronics factory and a new production facility for its Airspace Control Division, both in Scotland. Its order books were strong but it was stretched financially and ripe for takeover. An uncontested bid from English Electric, which also owned Marconi, was accepted in mid-1967.
Elliott to BAE - includes detailed description of the English Electric period and its aftermath
Little happened by way of rationalisation until the following year when, prompted by the government, The General Electric Company of the UK (GEC) - which itself had recently completed the takeover of Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) - and English Electric agreed to a merger.
The upshot of this was that the radar interests of Marconi and AEI together with the Airspace Control Division of Elliotts were brought together under the umbrella of Marconi Radar Systems Limited.
Airspace Control Division, having previously had its engineering facilities split between Rochester and Borehamwood and its manufacturing at Rochester, had by this time consolidated its engineering at Borehamwood and its manufacturing at Hillend in Scotland.
The decision was taken to move engineering, which included programming, to Chelmsford. Relatively few employees took up the offer of re-location and this occurred during 1970.
Development engineers were integrated into the Radar development team. Some Systems Engineers were merged into existing project teams, whilst another small team, headed by ex – Elliott man Bob Marshall, was added to the Marconi systems department.
Projects that moved to Chelmsford were:
Sim-M The radar simulator for the Linesman Project (although the staff for this project were based on site, at West Drayton)
Instilux A simulator for the Eurocontrol Institute in Luxembourg
GL161 Transportable Display and Data Handling (D&DH) Systems for RAF using Plessey Displays
SLEWC Standby Local Early Warning and Control D&DH Systems for RAF using Marconi Displays.
One system included a radar simulator.
NADGE Simulation and IFF Processing equipments for the NADGE Project
Linesman Decoders SSR/IFF decoding equipments for the Linesman Project
Oslo ATC Plot extractor for Fornebu Airport, Oslo – integrated with Swedish SRT displays
IBAC Plot Extractors for Marconi’s Irano-British Airports Consortium contract to supply ATC systems to Iran
Indian Navy IFF Decoder and Display Control and Logic Units (DCLU) to Cossor for the Indian Navy
Athens Airport SSR Decoder and DCLUs to Cossor for Athens Airport (may have been cancelled?)
Elliotts had had a long term working arrangement to supply Cossor with SSR/IFF processing equipment and the takeover caused some commercial difficulty on existing contracts.
Whilst some of the Elliott products were familiar to Marconi because the two companies had worked together on various projects or in consortia, Digital Radar Simulators were totally new. The technology had been developed by Elliotts and the Royal Radar Establishment and resulted in the world’s first digital radar simulator – Sim X. This led directly to the contract for Sim M and the SLEWC simulator followed.
Paul Baird, who had been involved with Sim X and RRE, joined the Sales Department in Chelmsford and set out about promoting Radar Simulation Systems. This led, in 1972, to an order from the Egyptian Air Force for two systems. Subsequently there were many customers from all around the world for these simulators.
MRSL
Home
Comments (1)
Ian Gillis said
at 3:16 pm on Feb 11, 2016
Page checked - Elliott link was 404 - relinked.
You don't have permission to comment on this page.