THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008
| VII
The Daily Telegraph
TECHNOLOGY CAREERS IN DEFENCE AS CONFLICT CONTINUES IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, BRITISH FORCES ARE GAINING THE ADVANTAGE IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL STAKES THANKS TO THE LATEST IN NIGHT-VISION INNOVATIONS, REPORTS THEA JOURDAN
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Night goggles can literally turn night into day or make you less visible
MATERIALS Export Sales Manager Defence Pressure & Flow Control Engineered Products Competitive package including bonus + car + benefits West London Location The Position Responsibility for export sales activities in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and USA. Substantial international travel is required. A strong focus on development of new customers in addition to management of existing accounts. Management and support of sales agents is a key element of the role. Senior position reporting to and working closely with the Defence Sales Director, and other key members of the company. The Company Hale Hamilton has a 60 year history of providing high-pressure flow control components and systems to defence and industrial markets. Now a part of CIRCOR International Inc., the company wish to expand further in international defence markets. This is an exceptional career opportunity for a high calibre sales professional to spearhead export sales for this highly reputable ISO 9001:2000 firm. Please reply (preferably by email) to the address below enclosing a copy of your CV and giving full salary details. Liz Smart, Human Resources Manager Hale Hamilton Valves Ltd. Cowley Road, Uxbridge, UB82AF lsmart@halehamilton.com Tel: 01895 457576 www.halehamilton.com The Candidate A capable and proven sales professional with experience preferably gained within the supply of engineered products to the defence sector. Experienced in direct sales and overseas agents, and the proven ability to generate new business via these channels. A technical background, ideally degree qualified with the ability to contribute positively to the sales and marketing process in a technically oriented environment. A self-starter with the drive and energy to “makeit-happen†and contribute positively in a highly motivated team.
THEIR DARK
CROWN COPYRIGHT/MOD
Night watch: left, the Royal Marines working on board ship, as seen through special night-vision goggles (above)
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ar doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. Increasingly, soldiers are being trained to fight nocturnal battles, and the best-equipped force will gain the upper hand. “In the past, soldiers did fight at night to take advantage of the element of surprise, but they had to rely on illuminating flares to see what was going on,†says Francis Tusa, editor of the journal Defence Analysis. “Now, technology can literally turn night into day, and make you less visible to the enemy — as long as he doesn’t have night-vision equipment, too.†The British military now takes night-vision technology very seriously. Night-vision goggles are now considered essential kit for missions — a big change from as recently as 2003, when only one in eight infantrymen could expect to get their hands on the goggles during operations. Those soldiers who see best in the dark are at a significant advantage. BAE Systems has developed unique enhanced nightvision goggles, which fuse the two types of available technology — infrared and light amplification — so that if there is no light at all, the goggles
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can still detect objects radiating heat. In addition, the goggles use digital technology, rather than analogue technology, which means data can be transported. “For example, you might export imagery from one soldier to another, or a central command centre,†says Rajani Cuddapah, programme manager at BAE Systems’ facility in Lexington, Massachusetts. The optically fused system means that the field of vision is much greater, too. Helicopter pilots often have to fly sorties during the night — often as a safety measure. In Iraq and Afghanistan, dust clouds often hamper their vision by day. Engineers at QinetiQ, the defence technology and security company, in collaboration with Canada’s National Research
Council and Nasa, the United States space agency, are working on the prototype of a helmetmounted display system that lets helicopter pilots “see†through the blackest night, or a sandstorm, using virtual technology. An innovative light-emitting diode display is mounted on the front end of a pair of night goggles worn by the pilot. This display unit projects a virtual image of the outside world, using data from the aircraft and sophisticated mapping technology. It also shows the instruments, so that the pilot does not have to look away for a split second. Adam Dillon, an engineer with QinetiQ, who has been working on the micro-display unit, says: “The real advantage of this technology is that it will extend pilot operations into near visibility conditions. We have also combined it in the cockpit with other sensors, so it can warn the pilot if he is getting too close to the ground or another aircraft.†The technology has already been successfully tested on helicopters and should be available in the next two years. Soldiers also need to be able to fire their weapons at night, and be sure they can hit the target. The SniperVIPIR-2 thermal weapon sight, made by UK firm Qioptiq, is already being used by the British military. It fixes onto the front of a sniper rifle and shows clear images, using heat signatures to pick out potential threats. David
Marks, the managing director of Qioptiq, says: “It is crucial that our customers have reliable equipment to enable them to fulfil their operational tasks successfully.†Tough and durable, the sight weighs about 2lbs (1kg) and is powered by four AA batteries. Finding the enemy in the dark is key if you want to win night battles. Last February, Des Browne, while serving as Britain’s defence secretary, reported that Britain’s armed forces were to be equipped with a new, all-weather Surveillance System and Range Finder, by 2009. The equipment, for use both during the day and night — produced by Thales, the defence electronics manufacturer — uses a global positioning system so that soldiers can pinpoint enemy positions, and thermalimaging technology. Browne said: “The ability to see and target accurately at night gives our troops on operations a boost to their capabilities. This will help deliver more effective use of firepower and save lives.â€
VISION ON Night-vision systems have been used by soldiers since the end of the Second World War. The first basic units were bulky and largely ineffective, but today the technology is so advanced that it can literally turn night into day. There are two main technologies. Image intensification units take the small amount of light available, from the moon or stars, and amplify it. This is achieved by turning the light into an energy charge, which is speeded through a vacuum tube until it hits a phosphor screen. Its drawback is that it needs some light to work. Infrared, however, uses heat signatures to spot people moving in the dark, or anything that emits heat that differs from the surrounding landscape. Infrared can be used when there is no light at all, or visibility is zero, so it has an advantage in heavy fog, smoke or sandstorms.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH Royal flight CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF THE SEA KING’S REIGN page 2 World of adventure LEARN HOW TO SKYDIVE, KAYAK AND SKI WHILE ON THE JOB page 4 The night watchers TARGETING THE DARK SIDE WITH BRITAIN’S ARMED FORCES page 7 ROYAL NAVY/CROWN COPYRIGHT Defence CAREERS IN T
II | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CAREERS IN DEFENCE FOCUS ALAMY; CROWN COPYRIGHT/MOD The Daily Telegraph A ROYAL light Lieutenant Fiona Bailey’s dream as a child was to fly helicopters for the Royal Air Force. Today, the 31-year-old is doing just that — as a Sea King cap
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 | III The Daily Telegraph QUALIFICATIONS CAREERS IN DEFENCE IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN BRITAIN’S DEFENCE ACADEMY — FOR MILITARY AND CIVILIAN STUDENTS — HAS AN ENVIABLE GLOBAL REPUTATION, WRITES NATASHA MANN are also networking, which can be a majo
IV | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CAREERS IN DEFENCE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT The Daily Telegraph C ON A MISSION KEEPING BRITAIN’S ARMY READY FOR ACTION REQUIRES A BEHIND-THE-SCENES FORCE OF 29,000 WORKERS, SUPPLYING CRUCIAL SUPPORT, EQUIPMENT — AND MARS BARS — AROUND THE
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 | V
VI | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CAREERS IN DEFENCE INTERNATIONAL NATO PHOTOS The Daily Telegraph An attack on one Nato member will be regarded as an attack on them all HOW TO BECOME A NATO INTERN THERE’S no substitute for experience, which is why Nato offers a six-month
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 | VII The Daily Telegraph TECHNOLOGY CAREERS IN DEFENCE AS CONFLICT CONTINUES IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, BRITISH FORCES ARE GAINING THE ADVANTAGE IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL STAKES THANKS TO THE LATEST IN NIGHT-VISION INNOVATIONS, REPORTS THEA JOURDAN W Ni
VIII | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CAREERS IN DEFENCE TERRITORIAL ARMY ALAMY The Daily Telegraph COLOUR SERGEANT DANIEL RADFORD, 37, PRINCE OF WALES’ ROYAL REGIMENT, LONDON “I joined the Territorial Army for the adventure in 1988, when I was 17. However, it was the cama
