Web Page sponsor Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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13 Jan 11. Technologies which could deliver benefits to the frontline of the future were shown off today by Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMES). Futuristic kit was presented at an innovation showcase by smaller companies who have received MOD research contracts. Defence Minister Peter Luff also announced at the event that nine new contracts, worth £500,000 in total, are being placed with SMEs, who make up around 60 per cent of all Defence research contracts. Innovative ideas and technologies on show included:
*A body amour cover with electronic circuits woven into the fabric: Staines-based Intelligent Textiles were awarded £49,500 to develop the technology to reduce the dismounted troops’ dependency on batteries to power equipment carried on operations.
*Transferring motorsport technology to protected vehicles: Cosworth, from Milton Keynes, has been awarded a number of contracts by the MOD, including researching fuel efficiency, portable generators.
*A portable oxygen generator: Cambridge Design Partnership has developed a lightweight, portable oxygen generator under a contract worth £70,000 that could be used on the frontline to administer oxygen.
The nine new contracts offered to SMEs include funding worth £68,000 to Edinburgh-based Dreampact for research into persistent surveillance on the battlefield. Imperial College London has been offered £67,000 to research a sensor system to detect the direction of small arms fire. The Minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology Peter Luff said, “Small businesses across the country are in the vanguard of providing novel solutions to Defence and Security needs, particularly in the realm of cyber defence and warfare. They offer innovation, flexibility and niche capabilities. The technology on show represents a fraction of the work being undertaken by some of the best brains in Britain. By embracing this work, the MOD has the potential to adapt, exploit and translate this research into kit and equipment that could directly benefit our troops on the frontline.”
Lending his support to the event, Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said, “Innovation and enterprise are critical in developing new technologies to provide valuable assistance to our troops on the frontline. It also sparks off new companies and industries that boost British industry. I am delighted to see the innovations on display and hope in the future they will play a role in supporting our troops and boosting the economy.”
Technology proposals from SMEs are supported through research contracts from the Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE), based in Harwell, Oxfordshire. The centre acts as a bridge between the MOD and businesses that may have a product or research benefic