RFEL also provides a complete system design and low volume production capability.

RFEL’s specialism is in designing the most technologically advanced signal processing solutions, and therefore supplies complete designs and hardware solutions for projects requiring complex front end, real time, wide and narrow band, flexible channelisation. The Company also provides a wide range of standard designs covering multiple FFT, Polyphase DFT, and unique PFT techniques, as well as customized system design services for the more specialist applications.

RFEL also specialises in designs for software defined radio, base stations, wireless and satellite communications systems, and test/measurement instrumentation.

The Company's products are supplied to leading companies worldwide, and deliver a radical improvement in system performance, as well as significantly reducing costs and design times.

Specific areas of expertise include:

The SEIC is a Centre of Excellence for Systems Engineering in all areas of research and technology development, teaching and training. Systems Engineering is the core competency underpinning profitability and growth in today's industry and commerce. The original partnership between Loughborough University, BAE Systems and emda (the East Midlands Development Agency) was responsible for the concept and creation of the SEIC in 2002.

Radio Frequency & Antennas Group
SELEX Communications

The Radio Frequency & Antennas (RF & A) Group is the antenna design centre of excellence within SELEX Communications in the UK, located at Filton, Bristol.

The Group designs, develops and manufactures bespoke antenna solutions for a wide range of fixed, mobile and man-portable platforms. Research and development is undertaken in a fully equipped RF laboratory, while measurements and customer trials support take place at the outdoor test range.

We offer over 150 man-years of extensive, practical experience of antennas fitted for applications ranging from body-worn communications (e.g. manpack radios) through to platform installations such as aircraft, ships and armoured fighting vehicles.

Electromagnetic (EM) Modelling
In support of this work and as a separate service, the RF&A Group has an advanced electromagnetic (EM) modelling capability, employing a suite of specialist tools (together with on-site, large, secure computing resources) to assess the electromagnetic environment of complex, air, land, sea and human platforms.

SELEX Communications, a Finmeccanica Company, is a communications systems supplier for military and civil customers. Uniquely placed to lead the delivery of Network Centric Communications, the Company capabilities encompass solutions for joint, land, sea and air applications, secure and mission critical communications.

Leader in advanced technology with over 100 years of experience, SELEX Communications develops state-of-the-art communications solutions meeting customer requirements and exceeding their expectations.

SELEX Communications employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, with offices and plants in Italy, the UK, USA, Germany, Turkey, Romania and South America.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems combine a full range of technologies to deliver integrated sensor solutions.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS), part of the Finmeccanica defence electronics sector, employs 7200 people with operations in the UK, Italy and the United States.

We are the UK’s largest supplier of electronic systems for military platforms in the air, at sea and on land. Our key technologies and capabilities include:

• Airborne radar
• Electronic warfare systems
• Electro-Optical systems
• Land systems
• Unmanned air vehicles & payloads
• Military lasers
• Mission systems & equipment
• Homeland security systems
• Support services

The Scottish Optoelectronics Association (SOA) represents the interests of companies and universities in Scotland engaged in Optoelectronics.  They hold community building meetings, promoting Scottish Optoelectronics locally, nationally and internationally and operate the following programmes:

• TTOM – The TTOM Awards fund feasibility studies by partnerships involving Scottish SMEs and researchers from Scotland’s Universities.  The aim of the programme is to establish, then enable, technology transfer projects particularly with a cross-sectoral and inter-disciplinary focus.
• OPTOCEM – A Knowledge Transfer Network for Chemical Sensing in the Water/Environmental Industry and the Oil/Gas Industry
• ACCORD – A European FP6 programme which purchases state of the art components from companies and places them in the hands of University researchers to conduct an agreed work programme.
• PKTN – A participant in the DTI Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network
• EPISTEP – A European FP6 programme connecting UK SMEs to partners in Europe
• ADRIA – A European FP6 Programme defining and roadmapping advance display activity in Europe.

SPIE is an international membership society, serving scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government, as well as companies producing leading-edge products. SPIE constituents work in a wide variety of fields that utilize some aspect of optics and photonics, which is the science and application of light. More specifically, optics is a branch of physics that examines the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. Photonics is the science and technology of generating, controlling, and detecting photons, which are particles of light.

Individuals involved with SPIE conduct research and apply discoveries to the design and development of such technologies as semiconductor manufacturing, robotics, medical imaging, next-generation displays, battlefield technologies, entertainment, biometric security, image processing, communications, astronomy, and much more. SPIE attracts Members from around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and supports them from offices in North America and Europe. Founded in 1955, SPIE continues to support those who seek to learn, discover and innovate by building a better world with light.

Sula Systems provides independent systems engineering and engineering science advice and support to the UK Ministry of Defence, its agencies and defence and aerospace companies in the UK and Europe.  Formed in 1996 and privately owned with complete independence from the defence supply base, Sula is based in Wotton-under-Edge, approximately 15 miles from the MoD Defence Procurement Agency site at Abbey Wood. The company is a Small to Medium Enterprise since it employs fewer than 250 staff, is ISO 9001:2000 accredited and is X-listed.

Our activities span a wide range of programmes and roles.  Current examples include: Industrial concept study for Network Enabled Air Defence System (NEADS); a high level review of defence R&D expenditure for Future Business Group; providing Technical Assurance to the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) Programme on behalf of the FRES IPT; Research and Technology management for Airbus UK; Ensuring coherence across all lines of development for the DII(FD) programme and undertaking a research programme on Synthetic Aperture Radar for a Defence Technology Centre.

Sula has a proven track record in devising and implementing robust, auditable and pragmatic assessments of highly technical systems and their interactions in complex environments.  We have used a wide range of analysis techniques, including well-known methods such as the Analytic-Hierarchic Process as well as devising novel analysis techniques such as the use of mathematical graph theory to investigate the performance of complex networks.  In each case, the assessment technique is selected and tailored to suit the specific application.  Our previous work in this field includes performance, cost and risk assessments of maritime and ground-based sensor networks, guided weapons, unmanned vehicles, command and control systems and their associated communications and data links. 

Summary of Capability

What do we do?

• Systems engineering process design
• Technical assurance and maturity assessment on large, complex systems programmes
• Through Life Capability Management
• Independent systems analysis
• System requirement definition and analysis: from CRD to SRD
• ITEA, verification and validation, design certification
• Research, modelling and simulation
• Systems concepting
• Safety engineering

What do we know about?

• Defence systems
• Defence acquisition
• Defence and aerospace prime contractorship
• Armoured vehicles
• NEC and C4ISR
• Radar systems
• Complex weapons
• Aircraft landing gear and fuel systems
• Naval combat systems
• Air defence and surveillance
• Nuclear plant safety