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Major achievements of Marconi Radar

Page history last edited by Ian Gillis 6 years, 3 months ago Saved with comment

Introduction

Version 11 - April 2017

This is based on an original list compiled in 1985 by Bruce Neale. It includes the contributions made by BTH, Metropolitan-Vickers and AEI.

 

It is by no means complete. At that time the Company was working on a number of new products including C3I, Gap-filling Radar, Over-The-Horizon Radar (OTH), a new SSR (Messenger), an Air Traffic Control Radar for Spain, and many others.

 

If you have knowledge of other projects to add please let MRSAT know by posting to MOGS or adding a comment as at the bottom of this page.

 

MOD/RAF

  1.       Chain Home (CH) restoration (pre-ROTOR)

  2.       VAST/ROTOR (CHEL/GCI) Programme, which included design and manufacture of:

                Radar Type 7: Metric GCI with height-finding

                Radar Type 13: S Band height-finder

                Radar Type 14: S Band Surveillance

                Radar Type 15:  Mobile Metric GCI with height-finding

                Radar Type 54:  S Band Surveillance, Low cover

                Radar Type 79: IFF

                Console Type 60: PPI

                Console Type 61: Height-finding Display for Type 13

                Console Type 64: Fixed Coil PPI with inter-trace marking

                Console Type 65: Height-finding Display for Type 7

  3.       Radar Type 82 (Orange Yeoman): S Band Surveillance with height-finding

  4.       Radar Type 83 (Yellow River): S and X Band Precision Tracking Radar

  5.       Radar Type 84: Very long range L Band Surveillance

  6.       Radar Type 85 (Blue Yeoman): S Band long range 3D (very high mean power)

  7.       Radar Type 87 (Blue Anchor): AEI/Marconi for Bloodhound 2

  8.       Radars Type 88/89 (Green Ginger):  Mobile Surveillance and height-finding, L, S and C Bands

  9.       Blue Joker: S Band Low Cover Radar on Balloons

10.       Green Satin: Doppler Navigating System

11.       Green Stymie: “Talking” Type 13

12.       Martello S713: L Band very long range 3D radar (Private Venture funded)

13.       Martello S723: ditto

 

NAVAL

      1.      Radar Type 901 (Sea Slug) guidance radar

 2.       Radar Type 909 (Sea Dart) guidance Radar

 3.       Radar Type 965: Metric Surveillance Radar

 4.       Radar Type 984 (Postal) S Band long range radar with height-finding

 5.       Radars Types 992/968 S Band  long range Radar

 6.       Radars Type 910/967 (Sea Wolf) Pulse Doppler L and X Band surveillance and guidance radar

 7.       STIR: S Band Target Indicating Radar

 

ARMY

     1.       Type 4 Mk,7: S Band mobile surveillance

     2.       Radar VR725: (Green Ginger): L, S and C Band tactical radar

     3.       Infantry Company Radar (ICR): J Band man-portable radar

 

CIVIL

  1. S232: Coherent 50 Cm Airfield Surveillance
  2. S264/264A: Coherent 50 cm long range surveillance
  3. S650/ S670 coherent 50cm TMA/ en-route surveillance
  4. S654: L Band long range, TMA/en route
  5. S511/S511H: S Band Airfield Surveillance Radar (ASR) using magnetrons NB - See the page summarising S511 Airfield Surveillance Radar Installations
  6. S512: S Band Airfield Surveillance Radar (ASR) using TWT
  7. SECAR and Challenger: Secondary Surveillance Radars (SSR)

 

MISC

     1.       S244/269: S Band very long range radar height-finder for NATO and others

     2.       S247/266: S +L Bands (back-to-back) very long range surveillance radar for NATO and others

     3.       S259: L Band medium range mobile/air transportable

     4.       SR800: S Band medium power transmitter/receiver

     5.       SR1000: S Band high power Transmitter/receiver

     6.       SR1030: L Band high power transmitter/receiver

     7.       SR1050: S Band high power transmitter for US radar Type FPS6

     8.       S600 series: A range of L, S and C Band mobile tactical radars for surveillance and height-finding

     9.       40T2: S Band very long range S Band 3D radar based on the Radar Type 85

 

MAJOR PROJECTS

 

Civil Radar Major Projects

  1. MEDIATOR: UK Civil Air Traffic Control System
  2. FPPS: Flight Plan Processing System for London TMA Middle Airspace
  3. ScATCC: Scottish Air Traffic Control System
  4. APOLLO: Satellite tracker for Cable and Wireless on Ascension Island for Apollo moon landings
  5. SIMCATS: Civil Radar System for Saudi Arabia
  6. IBAC - the upgrade of the Iranian ATC system including the addition of plot extractors etc.
  7. Myriad AFTN Message Switching System: for Cyprus

 

Defence Radar Major Projects

  1. NATO Radar Early Warning Chain of Stations: (Designated by NATO as High Performance Reporting Posts - HPRPs) stretching from Norway to Turkey.
  2. NADGE: Involving some 84 Stations, including enhancement of, and integrating the existing HPRPs).
  3. FUR HAT: Radar data handling systems for Sweden
  4. NASSAU Phase I & II: Mobile Operations Vehicle and static Sector Control System for the protection of South Africa’s airspace.
  5. LINESMAN: UK Military Air Defence System
  6. JEROME: Mobile Tactical Defence Radar for Cyprus
  7. SAMORE: Defence System for Cyprus
  8. GRAPPLE ‘X’: L Band Surveillance System for Christmas Island H-bomb tests
  9. CONDOR: Tactical Air Defence Convoys for Pakistan
  10. MAYFLOWER: Major extensions to the Fur Hat systems in Sweden
  11. TOR (DBU 260): Military Operations Cabins for Sweden
  12. TONIC: Defence Radar System for IRAN
  13. BRANDY: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoys for Yugoslavia 
  14. BRIDGE/BRIDGET: Tactical Air Defence Mobile Convoys and Static Systems for Yugoslavia. 
  15. SCAT: Orbital communications satellite tracking stations for MoD
  16. UKADGE: Data Handling network for UK
  17. JORN: OTH radar system for Australia
  18. HORTIATIS: 743D Air Defence System for Greek Air Force.
  19. MOUSTAKOS:  743D Air Defence System for Greek Air Force.
  20. SLEWC: Standby Local early Warning System for UK MOD
  21. BACCHUS: Yugoslavia
  22. NADYA: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoys for Turkey
  23. MALAYSIA: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoys for Malaysia
  24. SNAKE: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoys for Abu Dhabi
  25. ANGALIA: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoys for Kenya
  26. GRIFFIN: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoys for Kenya including a containerised simulator.
  27. 438: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoy for Saudi Arabia.
  28. OMAN: Tactical Air Defence S600 Convoys for OMAN
  29. LAHR & COMOX: Static radar systems for Canadian Air Force
  30. ZAID: Static Air Defence Radars for Jordan.
  31. RONDO: Tactical Air Defence S711 Convoys for Turkey
  32. PETRA: Tactical Air Defence S711 Convoys for Jordan
  33. ALBATROS: Martello S713A Development.
  34. ZARQA; Martello S713A Air Defence systems for OMAN
  35. LAGER: S723 Air Defence Radars for RAF
  36. LIME: S723 Air Defence Radars for Danish Air Force
  37. DELTA: 743D Air Defence Systems for NATO in Greece.
  38. MUSK: 743D Air Defence Systems for Thailand
  39. KAWAL: 743D Air Defence Systems for Malaysia
  40. SWMLU: Seawolf Mid-life update for the Royal Navy
  41. HADAF 743D Air Defence Systems for OMAN - 743Ds, new CRCs and a major upgrade to the comms system and new/old system integration.
  42. GENTING/SENAI Air Traffic Control Systems for Malaysia
  43. LANZA - 3D Air Defence Radars for Spanish Airforce (Scanning pencil beam variant of 743D)
  44. RECAP - Air Defence Simulators for RAAF
  45. MATSI - Air Defence Simulator for Finnish Airforce
  46. SIMULATORS - Air Defence Simulators for Egypt, Singapore, Oman, Kenya, Australia, Finland, RAF.

 

Comments (13)

Ian Gillis said

at 3:12 pm on Feb 9, 2016

Page checked

john lancaster said

at 12:25 am on Mar 16, 2016

Hi Ian and Alan. under MAJOR PROJECTS. suggest we add
FPPS: Flight Plan Processing System for London TMA Middle Airspace
Best regards
John

Alan Hartley-Smith said

at 11:15 am on Mar 16, 2016

See <http://marconiradarhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/32770586/FPPS> - we still don't have any real details - could you rustle-up at least an outline "spec" to setbthe scene.

norman.davies@yahoo.com said

at 12:20 pm on Mar 16, 2016

Add to CIVIL: S650/ S670 coherent 50cm TMA/ en-route surveillance, also the S654 was TMA/ en-route
MISC - The S259 was mobile/ air transportable
MAJOR PROJECTS - add 43 HADAF 743D Air Defence Systems for OMAN, 44 GENTING/ SENAI Air Traffic Control Systems for Malaysia

I note that COMOX and Lahr are down as major projects, presumably the other S511 projects should also be included. In fact the S511 was probably the biggest selling radar we produced over the years, amounting to some 50 "channels". (A diversity system counted as two channels.)

Steve Bousfield said

at 3:24 pm on Mar 16, 2016

Norman
Lahr and Comox were originally S654 projects. Lahr also had Challlenger SSR with Elliott decoders. The S511s came much later.
I didn't think Oman got 743Ds but my memory isn't sure - they did have S713s. Wasn't HADAF the integration project with new Tropo and training school?

Steve Bousfield said

at 3:35 pm on Mar 16, 2016

I'm now thinking you were right about the 743Ds going to Oman

Steve Bousfield said

at 3:34 pm on Mar 16, 2016

Add Lanza - 3D Air Defence Radars for Spanish Airforce (Scanning pencil beam variant of 743D)
As Hortiatis is mentioned then so should Moustakos ( another Greek 743D)
What about IBAC - the upgrade of the Iranian ATC system including the addition of plot extractors etc
GRIFFIN included a containerised simulator
Project RECAP - Air Defence Simulators for RAAF
MATSI - Air Defence Simulator for Finnish Airforce
Air Defence Simulators for Egypt, Singapore, Oman, Kenya, Australia, Finland, RAF

norman.davies@yahoo.com said

at 4:00 pm on Mar 16, 2016

Hadaf comprised 743Ds, new CRCs and a major upgrade to the comms system and integration with new and existing systems. We were prime with MCSL as a major subcontractor.

Ian Gillis said

at 1:53 pm on Mar 21, 2016

Comments copied from the Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/marconiradarhistory/

1) From https://www.facebook.com/BloodhoundMissilePreservationGroup
I am intrigued as to how the Bloodhound T86 numbering came about as its development by Ferranti preceded the takeover by GEC in 1990. I am looking at item 7 on http://marconiradarhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/36189315/Major%20achievements%20of%20Marconi%20Radar. So what was Marconi's involvement with the T86 development?

I can understand the T87 as this was developed after the takeover of AEI in 1967.

The naming for both radars would benefit from some work as the T86 was the Ferranti Firelight and code-named Indigo Corkscrew and the T87 was named Scorpion, code-named Blue Anchor.

2) From Mike Strange
Got my dates a bit wrong as the development of the T87 was of course complete and in service well before 1967. Ferranti didn’t go into liquidation until after 1994 (ish) so how did Marconi have anything to do with the T86 as Ferranti supported it until 1991 and I’m 100% on that one.

Alan Hartley-Smith said

at 3:19 pm on Mar 21, 2016

Our understanding is that in 1957 a new proposal by Bristol/Ferranti resulted in the the Bloodhound Mk. II. which was guided by either the Ferranti Type 86 "Firelight" radar for mobile use, or the larger fixed-emplacement Marconi Type 87 "Scorpion", starting tests in 1963 and entering RAF service in 1964 so well before the takeover in 1967 of AEI, which became GEC/AEI Electronics until 1969 when Marconi Radar Systems Ltd was formed. There was no involvement with the T86, which has an incorrect code name in the listing.

Ian Gillis said

at 12:31 pm on Mar 24, 2016

I've incorporated above comments as I understand them. Will commenters please highlight any errors?

suffolk@jamesahenson.plus,com said

at 9:13 am on Aug 24, 2016

Should GRAPPLE 'X' read : L Band Surveillance System for Christmas Island 'H' Bomb Tests. Doug Clements went to Christmas Island for installation ( I think his crane man was a chap called Len) support tube was constructed at Rivenhall, I remember Frank Henchy also was involved, having left London Transport where he was involved in design of the Routemaster Bus

Ian Gillis said

at 9:55 am on Aug 24, 2016

Yes - text changed to H-Bomb - fusion to fission at the stroke of a key!

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