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68-511: In June 1985, discussions began amongst various concerns to sound out the possibility of cooperation for the EFA, the project that would later become the Eurofighter, radar. The United Kingdom chose Ferranti as the leading contract partner, Germany AEG-Telefunken and Italy FIAR . Spain, which had no radar experience, played only a minor role, later selecting Eesa as the main contractor. Towards

136-572: A BSI committee. This also inspired the development of ASCII . In collaboration with the Victoria University of Manchester they built a new version of the famous Mark 1 that replaced valve diodes with solid state versions, which allowed the speed to be increased dramatically as well as increasing reliability. Ferranti offered the result commercially as the Mercury starting in 1957, and eventually sold nineteen in total. Although

204-525: A United States defence contractor based in Pennsylvania . The company subsequently changed its name to Ferranti International PLC. and restructured the combined business into the following divisions: Ferranti Computer Systems, Ferranti Defence Systems, Ferranti Dynamics, Ferranti Satcomms, Ferranti Telecoms, Ferranti Technologies and International Signal and Control. Unknown to Ferranti, ISC's business primarily consisted of illegal arms sales started at

272-559: A contract for the complete Sonar 2050. The work was originally carried out at the Wythenshawe factory and then at Cheadle Heath. Takeovers of other companies gave it expertise in sonar arrays. This business later became Ferranti Thomson Sonar Systems . The selection of the radar for the project that became the Eurofighter Typhoon became a major international issue in the early 1990s. Britain, Italy, and Spain supported

340-622: A share of the work. Specifically, the travelling wave tube was to be supplied which was possibly the same one that was to be used in the Rafale. In March 1987, Ferranti and AEG sent their offers to Eurofighter GmbH . Ferranti presented its ECR-90, based on the Blue Vixen , as early as 1986, while AEG offered the MSD-2000 "Emerald", which was based on the AN/APG-65 . Ferranti's main argument

408-623: A small part of Ferranti's empire, the computer division was nevertheless highly visible and operated out of a former steam locomotive factory in West Gorton . Work on a completely new design, the Atlas , started soon after the delivery of the Mercury, aiming to dramatically improve performance. Ferranti continued their collaboration with the University of Manchester, and Plessey became

476-453: A study into how the partner countries, excluding Germany, could develop their own radar for the EFA. The MSD-2000 study was negative, but Germany still refused to give in on this issue. As no agreement could be reached after 18 months, the UK and Germany called on the industry to find a solution. In December 1989, Ferranti held talks with Telefunken System Technik (formerly AEG until Daimler took over

544-652: A third partner. The second generation supercomputer first ran in December 1962. Eventually six machines were built, one of which was a stripped-down version that was modified for the needs of the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory ; the Titan (or Atlas 2 ) was the mainstay of scientific computing in Cambridge for nearly 8 years. Atlas was the first computer in the world to implement virtual memory . By

612-399: Is integrated into the radar unit and is normally fully automatic. The signal processing consists of 61 plug-in cards (shop replaceable items-SRI) and 6 line replaceable units. The modular design allows for easy repairs and upgrades. The built-in self-diagnostic capability indicates the defective SRI, which can be read out on the ground by a laptop without having to switch on the power supply. If

680-521: Is less than one milliradian in alignment and less than 10 metres (33 ft) in distance. The CAPTOR operates in the X-band from 8 to 12  hertz (GHz) ( horizontally polarised ) and has twice the transmission power of the AN/APG-65 . It automatically switches between low, medium and high pulse repetition rates . These range from 1,000 to 200,000 pulses per second, with the main focus on medium pulse repetition rates. Friend or foe detection (IFF)

748-622: Is not directly related to the major Ferranti corporation. The company has over 200 employees that manufacture BT's public phones, oil pumps for large industrial vehicles, electric motors for motorbility solutions, electronics, and small MOD equipment. BAE Systems Avionics BAE Systems Avionics was the avionics unit of BAE Systems until 2005, at which time it was transferred to SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems S.p.A. (initially 75% Finmeccanica and 25% BAE Systems, but since March 2007 fully owned by Finmeccanica). Selex S&AS became SELEX Galileo in 2008 and from January 2013 (following

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816-624: The AN/APG-68 , but this did not end up happening. Both bidders submitted two-part offers: one that fully met the tender requirements and a reduced low-cost variant. Ferranti and FIAR offered the ECR-90 and the Super Vixen, AEG and GEC Marconi the MSD-2000 and the APG-65, but both high-tech offers were too expensive and the low-cost alternatives were deemed insufficient. As a result, a new tender

884-503: The Hermes and Poseidon and these were followed by the F1600 in the mid-1960s. Some of these machines remained in active service on naval vessels for many years. The FM1600B was the first of the range to use integrated circuits and was used in many naval and commercial applications. The FM1600D was a single- rack version of the computer for smaller systems. An airborne version of this

952-695: The National Grid in 1926. In 1912, in a move driven by A.B. Anderson, the Ferranti Managing Director, Ferranti formed a company in Canada, Ferranti Electric , to exploit the overseas meter market. But in 1914, two significant events happened, Anderson drowned on his return from Canada in the Empress of Ireland sinking and the outbreak of WWI signalled an opportunity for Dr. Ferranti to once again get involved in day-to-day events in

1020-578: The Tornado since it was rushed into service during the first Gulf War. From the 1960s through to the late 1980s, the Bristol Ferranti Bloodhound SAM , for which Ferranti developed radar systems, was a key money earner. In 1970, Ferranti became involved in the sonar field through its involvement with Plessey in a new series of sonars, for which it designed and built the computer subsystems. This work later expanded when it won

1088-817: The United States (inc. Ferranti International Controls Corporation in Sugar Land, Texas) and several British Commonwealth countries including Canada , Australia and Singapore . Ferranti Australia was based in Revesby, Sydney NSW. There was also a primarily defence-related branch office in South Australia. Products manufactured by Ferranti Defence Systems included cockpit displays (moving map, head-down, head-up) video cameras and recorders, gunsight cameras, motion detectors, pilot's night vision goggles, integrated helmets, and pilot's stick controls. On

1156-530: The EFA's missile detectors, was taken over by a consortium of GEC Marconi and Siemens . This signalled a relaxation on the radar front. In early 1990, GEC-Ferranti was finally declared the winner of the EFA radar competition and awarded a £300m contract. In mid-1990, GEC-Ferranti negotiated with Ericsson to remove the company from the ECR-90 Euroradar consortium and use the Motorola 68020 processors of

1224-508: The Ferranti-Thompson Alternator. Ferranti focused on alternating current power distribution early on, and was one of the few UK experts. In 1885 Dr. Ferranti established a new business, with Francis Ince and Charles Sparks as partners, known as S.Z. de Ferranti . According to J.F. Wilson, Dr. Ferranti's association with the electricity meter persuaded Ince to partner him in this new venture, and meter development

1292-594: The Ferranti-led ECR-90 , while Germany preferred the MSD2000 (a collaboration between Hughes , AEG and GEC). An agreement was reached after UK Defence Secretary Tom King assured his German counterpart Gerhard Stoltenberg that the British government would underwrite the project and allow GEC to acquire Ferranti Defence Systems from its troubled parent. Hughes sued GEC for $ 600 million for its role in

1360-521: The London area were too high, so the company moved to Hollinwood in Oldham in 1896. In July 1901, Ferranti Limited was formed, specifically to take over the assets of S.Z. de Ferranti Ltd and raise equity, but failed to impress potential new investors as it was still dominated by family ownership. Over-optimistic market projections in the boom of 1896–1903, declining revenues and liquidity problems, forced

1428-440: The MSD-2000 instead. In a comparison, its signal processing proved to be significantly more powerful. This in turn was seen as a problem by Germany, as the redesign of the ECR-90 meant that delays and further cost increases were unavoidable. Hughes sued GEC for $ 600 million for its role in the selection of the EFA and alleged that it used Hughes technology in the ECR-90 when it took over Ferranti. It later dropped this allegation and

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1496-522: The Royal Canadian Navy develop DATAR (Digital Automated Tracking and Resolving). DATAR was a pioneering computerized battlefield information system that combined radar and sonar information to provide commanders with an "overall view" of a battlefield, allowing them to coordinate attacks on submarines and aircraft. In the 1950s, work focused on the development of airborne radar, with the company subsequently supplying radars to most of

1564-603: The SRI is actually defective, it is replaced. The software was written in Ada in accordance with the MIL STD 2167A standard. The CAPTOR is the first NATO radar with three processing channels. The first channel is used for target search, the second for target tracking and identification and the third for localisation, classification and overcoming jamming as well as sidelobe suppression. The entire system weighs 193 kilograms (425 lb) and

1632-719: The Silverknowes site in Edinburgh . In addition to their other military and civil applications, they were used in the ESA Ariane 4 and first Ariane 5 launches. Ferranti also produced the PADS (Position and Azimuth Determining System), an inertial navigation system which could be mounted in a vehicle and was used by the British Army. With the invention of the laser in the 1960s, the company quickly established itself in

1700-811: The Tornado aircraft, Ferranti supplied the radar transmitter, inertial navigation system, LRMTS, TIALD pod, mission recording equipment, and cockpit displays. A number of uses of the Ferranti name remain in use. In Edinburgh , the Ferranti Edinburgh Recreation Club (FERC), the Ferranti Mountaineering Club and the Ferranti Ten-pin Bowling League are still in existence. While these organisations no longer have any formal ties with

1768-672: The UK and the various international offices. In 1943, Ferranti opened a factory at Crewe Toll in Edinburgh to manufacture gyro gunsights for the Spitfire aircraft. After the war they set up Ferranti Research to complement this business which grew to employ 8,000 staff in 8 locations, becoming the birthplace of the Scottish electronics industry , and a major contributor to company profitability. Later products included solid state ring laser gyros. From 1949, Ferranti-Packard assisted

1836-423: The UK's decisions). [REDACTED]   United Kingdom – Royal Air Force [REDACTED]   Germany [REDACTED]   Italy [REDACTED]   United Kingdom – Royal Air Force Ferranti Ferranti or Ferranti International PLC was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. The company

1904-654: The UK's fast jet and helicopter fleets. Today the Crewe Toll site (now part of Leonardo S.p.A. ) leads the consortium providing the Euroradar CAPTOR radar for the Eurofighter Typhoon . In the 1960s and 1970s, inertial navigation systems became an important product line for the company with systems designed for fast jet (Harrier, Phantom, Tornado), space and land applications. The electro-mechanical inertial navigation systems were constructed at

1972-534: The antenna in order to achieve high scanning speeds. The motors can only move the planar antenna in elevation and azimuth angles while roll angles are compensated electronically by combined control in order to reduce weight. Due to the very high scanning speed for a mechanically swivelled antenna, the radar can also interleave different radar modes, which would only otherwise be possible with phased array antennas, albeit much faster. For example, air-to-air and air-to-ground modes can be combined in one scan pass. The accuracy

2040-585: The antennas: The CAPTOR was optimised for air combat with beyond visual range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAM) under strong enemy electronic countermeasures , resulting from the requirements of the Cold War . Since the end of the Cold War, the main focus of the Eurofighter has shifted from fighter to multi-role combat aircraft tasks. The ground attack capabilities of the radar were therefore further developed in this direction. The mechanical control system

2108-489: The behest of various US clandestine organizations. On paper the company looked to be extremely profitable on sales of high-priced "above board" items, but these profits were essentially non-existent. With the sale to Ferranti all illegal sales ended immediately, leaving the company with no obvious cash flow. In 1989 the UK's Serious Fraud Office started criminal investigation regarding alleged massive fraud at ISC. In December 1991 James Guerin, founder of ISC and co-chairman of

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2176-522: The building, the generating plant and the distribution system and on its completion in October 1890, it was the first truly modern power station. It supplied high-voltage AC power at 10,000 volts, which was transformed to a lower voltage for consumer use where required. Success followed and Ferranti started producing electrical equipment (especially transformers) for sale. Soon the company was looking for considerably more manufacturing space. Land prices in

2244-501: The case for MSD-2000." The company began marketing optical position measuring equipment for machine tools in 1956. Moire fringes produced by diffraction gratings were the basis for the position measurement. In the late 1980s there were several sections of the company involved in non-military areas. These included microwave communications equipment (Ferranti Communications), and petrol (gas) station pumps (Ferranti Autocourt). Both of these departments were based at Dalkeith , Scotland. In

2312-508: The companies which subsumed the Ferranti companies which operated in Edinburgh, they still operate under the old names. Ferranti Thistle F.C. was formed in 1943 and joined the Scottish Football League in 1974. Due to strict sponsorship rules it changed its name to Meadowbank Thistle F.C., and later to Livingston F.C. Denis Ferranti Meters Limited is still (2021) owned by a direct descendant of Sebastian de Ferranti but

2380-497: The company bankers Parrs to send the company into receivership in 1903. The business was restructured in 1905, Dr. Ferranti's shareholding being reduced to less than 10%. For the next eleven years the company was run by receiver managers and Dr. Ferranti was effectively excluded from commercial financial strategies. He spent much of this period working in partnership with the likes of J.P. Coats of Paisley on cotton spinning machinery and Vickers on re-superheating turbines. Through

2448-487: The company) to co-operate on the ECR-90 and resolve the German resistance. At the same time, the industry warned politicians of rising costs due to the delays. Eurofighter GmbH then sent letters to all four partner countries and NETMA stating that all additional costs would be passed on to them. This was important as the EFA radar was to be awarded as a fixed-price contract and the companies involved were to be reimbursed for

2516-418: The company. He wanted to get involved in the manufacture of shells and fuzes but it wasn't until 1915 that he finally convinced the board to accept this. As a result of this work Ferranti were in a healthier financial position at the end of the war. High voltage power transformers became an important product for Ferranti; some of the largest types weighed over a hundred tons. Dr. Ferranti's son Vincent joined

2584-570: The computers are cooled with both liquid and air. Due to the sensor fusion used in the Eurofighter Typhoon by means of the Attack and Identification System (AIS), the radar modes are normally selected automatically by the on-board computer; the CAPTOR is operated exclusively according to the VTAS principle (VTAS - Voice, Throttle and Stick). The general mode of operation of the radar is as follows: First,

2652-468: The decision was made, with Ferranti's ECR-90 winning the race but not being chosen. Since Germany did not agree with the decision, German Defence Minister Gerhard Stoltenberg met with British Defence Secretary Tom King in mid-1989. They agreed to commission a study into whether the MSD-2000 could be adapted to British requirements after all. At the same time, the UK Ministry of Defence launched

2720-425: The delays. At the beginning of 1990, GEC Marconi, which was working on the MSD-2000, swallowed up Ferranti, which was designing the ECR-90, a decision that was underwritten by the British government. Ferranti's labs became the new GEC Ferranti in 1990, and then BAE Systems Avionics when GEC's various military electronics divisions - Ferranti, Marconi and Elliott Brothers - were merged. Plessey , which manufactured

2788-576: The early 1960s their mid-size machines were no longer competitive, but efforts to design a replacement were bogged down. Into this void stepped the Canadian division, Ferranti-Packard , who had used several of the ideas under development in England to very quickly produce the Ferranti-Packard 6000 . By this time Ferranti's management was tired of the market and were looking for someone to buy

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2856-466: The early part of the century power was supplied by small companies, typically as an offshoot of plant set up to provide power to local industry. Each plant supplied a different standard, which made the mass production of domestic electrical equipment inefficient. In 1910, Dr. Ferranti made a presidential speech to the IEE addressing this issue, but it would be another sixteen years before the commencement of

2924-479: The effective air-to-air missile range of the aircraft and allows for faster and more accurate detection and tracking of multiple aircraft with lower life cycle costs. In July 2010, it was reported that the Euroradar consortium made a formal offer to provide an AESA solution for the Eurofighter. The consortium plans to retain as much "back-end" equipment as possible while developing the new radar and also stated that

2992-778: The electro-optics arena. From the early 1970s, it was delivering the Laser Rangefinder and Marked Target Seeker (LRMTS) for the Jaguar and Harrier fleets, and later for Tornado. It supplied the world's first man-portable laser rangefinder/designator ( Laser Target Marker , or LTM) to the British Army in 1974, and had notable successes in the US market, establishing Ferranti Electro-optics Inc in Huntington Beach, California . Its TIALD Pod (Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designator) has been in almost constant combat operation on

3060-425: The end of June 1985, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain to develop a joint radar for the EFA. France had already indicated at the time that it intended to withdraw from the programme. The French company Thomson-CSF was thus faced with a dilemma, as it would have liked to participate in an EFA radar. Therefore, in 1987, Thomson-CSF negotiated with Ferranti to secure

3128-542: The entire division. Eventually it was merged into International Computers and Tabulators (ICT) in 1963, becoming the Large Systems Division of ICL in 1968. After studying several options, ICT selected the FP 6000 as the basis for their ICT 1900 series line which sold into the 1970s. The deal setting up ICT excluded Ferranti from the commercial sector of computing, but left the industrial field free. Some of

3196-401: The first cone and plate viscometers . Ferranti built a new power transformer works at Hollinwood in the mid-1950s at a time when there was growth in the power supply distribution industry. By 1974, Ferranti had become an important supplier to the defence industry, but its power transformer division was making losses, creating acute financial problems. This led to the company being bailed out by

3264-615: The first European company to produce a silicon diode , in 1955. In 1972 they launched the ZN414 , a single-chip AM radio integrated circuit in a 3-pin package. Ferranti Semiconductor Ltd. went on to produce a range of silicon bipolar devices, including, in 1977, the Ferranti F100-L , an early 16-bit microprocessor with 16-bit addressing. An F100-L was carried into space on the amateur radio satellite UoSAT-1 (OSCAR 9). Ferranti's ZTX series bipolar transistors gave their name to

3332-627: The first flight with the a prototype of the Captor-E. The Captor-E is based on the Captor radar currently in service on Eurofighter production aircraft. The new generation of radar is intended to replace the mechanically steered antennas and high-power transmitters used on current Eurofighter aircraft with an electronically steered array. This enables new mission capabilities for combat aircraft such as simultaneous radar functionalities, air surveillance, air-to-ground and weapon control. The new radar improves

3400-636: The government's National Enterprise Board , taking a 65% share of the company in return. During World War II, Ferranti became a major supplier of electronics, fuzes , valves , and was, through development of the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system, heavily involved in the early development of radar in the United Kingdom. In the post-war era, this became a large segment of the company, with various branches supplying radar sets, avionics and other military electronics, both in

3468-541: The inclusion of an AESA radar was an important in securing orders from foreign nations. On 19 November 2014, at the Edinburgh office of Selex ES , the European consortium Eurofighter GmbH and the inter-governmental agency NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) signed a contract worth €1 billion to develop the electronically scanned digital antenna array Captor-E radar for the Typhoon. Characteristics of

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3536-502: The industry. Parts of BAE Systems Avionics were merged with Galileo Avionica to form SELEX Galileo in 2005 which in turn then merged with other Finmeccanica defence electronics companies in 2013 to create Selex ES (merged in turn in Finmeccanica, rebranded Leonardo since 2017). The development effort is now organized under the Euroradar consortium, consisting primarily of Selex ES , as well as Airbus and Indra . The ECR-90

3604-511: The inheritor of Ferranti Semiconductor's discrete semiconductor business, Zetex Semiconductors plc . In the early 1980s, Ferranti produced some of the first large uncommitted logic arrays (ULAs), used in home computers such as the Sinclair ZX81 , Sinclair ZX Spectrum , Acorn Electron and BBC Micro . The microelectronics business was sold to Plessey in 1988. In 1987 Ferranti purchased International Signal and Control (ISC),

3672-572: The late 1940s Ferranti joined with various university-based research groups to develop computers . Their first effort was the Ferranti Mark 1 , completed in 1951, with about nine delivered between 1951 and 1957. The Pegasus introduced in 1956 was their most popular valve (vacuum tube) system, with 38 units sold. Circa 1956, Ivan Idelson, at Ferranti, originated the Cluff–Foster–Idelson coding of characters on 7-track paper tape for

3740-1052: The merged company, pleaded guilty before the federal court in Philadelphia to fraud committed both in the US and UK. All offences which would have formed part of any UK prosecution were encompassed by the US trial and as such no UK trial proceeded. The financial and legal difficulties that resulted forced Ferranti into bankruptcy in December 1993. The company had factories in Greater Manchester at Hollinwood , Moston , Chadderton (Gem Mill), Waterhead (Cairo Mill), Derker , Wythenshawe , Cheadle Heath , West Gorton , and Poynton . Eventually it set up branch-plants in Edinburgh (Silverknowes, Crewe Toll, Gyle, Granton and Robertson Avenue factories, plus its own hangar facility at Turnhouse Airport), Dalkeith , Aberdeen , Dundee , Kinbuck (near Dunblane ), Bracknell , Barrow in Furness and Cwmbran as well as Germany and

3808-1244: The radar transmits in 'Velocity Search' (VS) mode to detect approaching targets even in ground clutter . If targets are detected, the radar switches to 'range while search' (RWS) mode. The computer creates a track file and continues to work in ' track while scan ' (TWS) mode while searching for new targets. The identity of the targets is then determined by NIS or NCTI and the threats are prioritised. Further modes such as Raid Assessment and Threat Assessment are then applied if necessary. Further operating modes and capabilities are not listed in full: 571 aircraft fitted with this radar. [REDACTED]   Austria [REDACTED]   Germany [REDACTED]   Italy [REDACTED]   Oman [REDACTED]   Saudi Arabia [REDACTED]   Spain [REDACTED]   United Kingdom 52 aircraft will eventually be fitted with this radar. [REDACTED]   Kuwait [REDACTED]   Qatar Over 150 aircraft should eventually be fitted with this radar, some retrofitted. [REDACTED]   Germany [REDACTED]   Spain At least 40 aircraft will eventually be fitted with this radar, up to 160 aircraft (depending on Germany and

3876-420: The required technology transfer for the MSD-2000 when it was negotiated in May 1988, but nevertheless agreed to it in August of that year. The schedule now envisaged completing the first airworthy radars in 1992, as the first flight of the EFA was planned for 1991, and starting series production in 1996. Spain was now in favour of the MSD-2000, as the cost and timeframe seemed the most realistic. After October 1988,

3944-467: The selection of the EFA and alleged that it used Hughes technology in the ECR-90 when it took over Ferranti. It later dropped this allegation and was awarded $ 23 million; the court judged that the MSD-2000 "had a real or substantial chance of succeeding had GEC not tortuously intervened ... and had the companies, which were bound by the Collaboration Agreement, faithfully and diligently performed their continuing obligations thereunder to press and promote

4012-403: The technology of the FP 6000 was later used in its Ferranti Argus range of industrial computers which were developed in its Wythenshawe factory. The first of these, simply Argus , was initially developed for military use. Meanwhile, in Bracknell the Digital Systems Division was developing a range of mainframe computers for naval applications. Early computers using discrete transistors were

4080-627: The transformer department as manager in 1921 and was instrumental in expanding the work started by his father. After the death of Dr. Ferranti in 1930, he became the chairman and chief executive. In 1935, Ferranti purchased a disused wire drawing mill at Moston : from here it manufactured many "brown goods" such as televisions, radios, and electric clocks. The company later sold its radio and television interests to EKCO in 1957. Production of clocks ended in 1957 and other product lines phased out in 1960 Ferranti Instruments, based at Moston, developed various items for scientific measurements, including one of

4148-455: Was also made and used aboard the RAF Nimrod . The FM1600E was a redesigned and updated version of the FM1600B, and the last in the series was the F2420 , an upgraded FM1600E with 60% more memory and 3.5 times the processing speed, still in service at sea in 2010. Ferranti had been involved in the production of electronic devices, including radio valves , cathode-ray tubes and germanium semiconductors for some time before it became

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4216-405: Was awarded $ 23 million; the court judged that the MSD-2000 "had a real or substantial chance of succeeding had GEC not [tortiously] intervened   ... and had the companies, which were bound by the Collaboration Agreement, faithfully and diligently performed their continuing obligations thereunder to press and promote the case for MSD-2000." Since these events, further mergers have taken place in

4284-414: Was fundamental to the survival and growth of his business for several decades to come. Despite being a prime exponent of alternating current, Ferranti became an important supplier to many electric utility firms and power-distribution companies for both AC and DC meters. In 1887, the London Electric Supply Corporation (LESCo) hired Dr. Ferranti for the design of their power station at Deptford . He designed

4352-406: Was launched. This time, the performance requirements were slimmed down and the manufacturers were also asked how the costs could be reduced. The requirements were also less stringent in order to fuel the inventive spirit of the engineers. The two new tenders were submitted in February 1988: The radar software was to be programmed in Ada , as was the entire EFA software. The US was rather critical of

4420-459: Was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . The firm was known for work in the area of power grid systems and defence electronics . In addition, in 1951 Ferranti began selling an early computer, the Ferranti Mark 1 . The Belgian subsidiary lives on as Ferranti Computer Systems and as of 1994 is part of the Nijkerk Holding. Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti established his first business Ferranti, Thompson and Ince in 1882. The company developed

4488-547: Was renamed CAPTOR when the project passed the production contract milestone. In 1993 a European research project was launched to create the Airborne Multirole Solid State Active Array Radar (AMSAR); it was run by the British-French-German GTDAR ("GEC-Thomson- DASA Airborne Radar") consortium (now Selex ES , Thales and Airbus respectively). This evolved into the CAESAR (Captor Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar), now known as Captor-E active electronically scanned array . In May 2007, Eurofighter Development Aircraft 5 made

4556-542: Was selected in the initial phase of the Eurofighter project as the development risks were to be minimised. According to the project managers, the technology of a mechanically swivelled antenna were fully exploited in the CAPTOR. The radar consists of a mechanically controlled antenna made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic with a diameter of 0.7 metres (2 ft 4 in). The antenna can be swivelled by ±60° in elevation and +-70° azimuth . Four high-precision samarium-cobalt servomotors with high torque are used to control

4624-452: Was that a European fighter aircraft should also be equipped with a European radar. Ferranti had already been working with Thompson-CSF, Inisel and FIAR on the development of the radar since 1983. France withdrew with Thompson-CSF in June 1985, followed a year later by AEG. AEG wanted to offer a system based on the APG-65, as the company already had the production licence for this. There was still speculation as to whether Thorn-EMI would offer

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