Ambex has completed a project to provide integrated navigation and communications systems for the UK Royal Navy.

The marine electronics company was selected by Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) to secure and deliver a GB£2.2m contract to provide integrated navigation and communications systems and training for all 35 of the new SEA class work boats ordered by the Royal Navy and built by Atlas UK for the MoD in a project known as Vahana.

William Smith, director of Ambex, said: “Atlas and Ambex share a common determination to deliver efficient, high quality, best-in-class projects and we are very proud to have been selected by Atlas as their electronics integrator for this significant contract.”

Virtual workboat

The first stage of the project for the modular, multipurpose workboats, all under 20m, involved the design and build of a virtual workboat in Ambex’s headquarters in West Sussex. This was used to test, debug and demonstrate the COTS suite consisting of Simrad gyro compass, autopilot, GPS & AIS, acoustic correlation speed log, Furuno radar, Cobham satellite communications, JRC Navtex and Consillium echo sounder all integrated to dual ECDIS systems on Hatteland panel PCs running OSI ECPINS software.

Ambex ensured continuity and traceability in the process by writing its own software applications and QR coding every piece of equipment. The QA and kitting process was completed in West Sussex, scrutinising the system and software before starting the installation process. The whole offering was then ready for installation on delivery to Horizon, Atlas’ purpose-built boat building facility in Dorset.

Thirty-five sets of equipment have now been delivered including bespoke pre-assembled cable assemblies and most have now been installed, with AEUK completing the physical installation and cable runs and Ambex providing dedicated engineers to connect, power up and factory test before the boats left the facility. The setting to work took place in Portland, Dorset, where HATs and SATs were completed to naval standards. Ambex also developed a new app-based system to record the 100+ pages of documentation needed per boat.

By Rebecca Jeffrey

 

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