Defence showcase is 10% larger

With technology spanning land, air, sea and security applications, the event is one of the world's largest defence and security exhibitions. And the venue's location allows warships to berth beside the exhibition halls, as well as enabling naval suppliers to conduct demonstrations in the Royal Victoria Docks. While the organisers anticipate similar numbers of visitors to the previous event held in 2007 – around 26,500 – space at this year's event has grown by 10%. Working with UKTi DSO, DSEi's organisers have invited foreign delegations and high ranking senior visitors from around the world. The last DSEi saw 77 official delegations attending from 50 countries. The last DSEi show saw the introduction of the Innovation Showcase – an opportunity for small to medium sized defence companies and supply chain contractors to present new products, services and technologies. These free sessions have been reprised for 2009, with the addition of a seminar programme aimed at a range of topical issues. These include exporting to the US, how to sell to UK MoD and how SMEs can effectively introduce new products into a defence supply chain. Latest SDR test technology Rohde & Schwarz will be exhibiting the latest in hf SDR radio technology, plus secure v/uhf for radios for land, sea and air applications. A range of NATO approved encryption devices for data and voice applications will also be shown in parallel plus the new Topsec Mobile which is said to provide the latest in Bluetooth encryption for GSM technologies. http://www.rohde-schwarz.co.uk Stand 1387 Vector analysis Anritsu will showcase two new handheld vector network analysers that enable aerospace and defence equipment manufacturers to take accurate measurements of rf and microwave signals. The MS2026B and MS2028B - part of Anritsu's VNA master range – have been designed to satisfy both rf and microwave cable and antenna analysis requirements with frequency coverage from 5kHz to 6GHz and 5kHz to 20GHz, respectively. According to Anritus, the new VNA Master provides fast tuning speed, 12 term error corrections for precise two port measurements of cables/duplexers/isolators and flexible user interface. http://www.anritsu.co.uk Stand 2330 Security surveillance Plextek will be demonstrating its expertise in situational awareness for ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance). In addition to a series of performance enhancements to its Blighter surveillance radars, Plextek will also be showcasing the company's product design capabilities for defence and homeland security surveillance. The company's Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV engine, launched at the recent Paris Air Show, will also be on display. Plextek says the engine weighs up to 30% less than current solutions in its class and is unique in using a supercharger, traditionally found on manned aircraft, to maintain engine power at higher altitude. http://www.plextek.co.uk Stand 498 Capability enhanced EMS provider AWS Group has added extra capabilities and capacity at various plants. AWS Cemgraft can now handle SMT boards up to 665 x 450mm. AWS Electronics has added a fast track service at its Newcastle under Lyme site and AWS Slovakia – the group's low cost manufacturing operation – has invested in new production and test equipment to meet increased demand from new customers. AWS Group says can also offer whole life support services to the electronics manufacturing sector. At the initial stages of a project, AWS can get involved in design for manufacture and design for cost discussions, providing prototype manufacturing services from its Newbury facility. http://www.awselectronicsgroup.com Stand 2267 Connecting with buyers Aerco will be displaying a range of components suitable for defence, military and aerospace applications. Products on display will include connectors, electromechanical actuators and sensors, cable, wire and fibreoptic products, fans and blowers, fuses, position sensors and electromagnetic and electro optic products. Also on show will be a range of military connectors, including Deutsch D38999 connectors in high current circular, rugged and shielded RJ45 and Quadrax formats. There will also be HBB connectors from Hypertac, that are rated up to 750A for use in high power military applications, AB05 connectors from AB Connectors that are lightweight, environmentally sealed and solvent resistant and a new range of D38999 connector backshells from Glenair. http://www.aerco.co.uk Stand 889 Making a pitch Harwin will be showing its Datamate compact 2mm pitch low profile connector system, which includes mixed layout/technology connectors in the Mix-Tek range. Mix-Tek is said to allow the number of connectors on a board to be reduced by accommodating power (up to 20A), signal (up to 3A) and coax (6GHz) into one connector. Datamate is designed to perform in harsh operating conditions and survive extremes of shock, vibration and temperature. Its cost structure makes it suitable for COTS applications. Recently, Harwin has added a fast, secure mate Datamate style – 101Lok – which it says eliminates the need for jackscrews, and also an autocrimp contact – Trio-Tek – which makes Datamate cable assemblies faster and cheaper to assemble. http://www.harwin.com Stands 125 and 139 Withstanding shock ITT will show a range of newly launched connectors for military, defence and aerospace applications. Chip on flex filter connectors can now feature TVS devices for lightening protection ceramic capacitors for emi/rfi filtering. Tested to Mil-DTL-38999 Series III standards for mechanical shock, vibration, and high altitude DWV, CoF connectors also exceed 1000 cycles of thermal shock as per Mil-Std-1344. The devices feature contact counts from 1 up to 600 and fit industry standard configurations, including rack and panel, circular and D-Sub. ITT has also newly developed an innovative machined aluminium shell for its K128 and K134 space connectors which it says reduces the possibility of misconnects during testing and final assembly, as well as offering weight reductions of up to 15% over conventional brass shells. http://www.ittcannon.com Stand 975 Reducing shock Kontron aims to create a major competitive advantage for its customers through a reduction of time to market and costs. Kontron says its products are designed and constructed to withstand high temperature levels, shocks, vibration, moisture, dust, and electrical noise. The company's products have been designed to meet most OEM COTS requirements and it specialises in the development of such technologies as processor boards, operating systems, form factors, enclosures and connectivity technologies. http://www.kontron.com Stand 874 Four divisions present Each of Steatite's four divisions – Steatite Rugged, Steatite Batteries, Wordsworth Technology and ICP – will present new products, systems and technology tailored for military communications applications. Amongst the technologies on display will be standard and customised rugged computer systems with high reliability equipment interfaces. Both fully portable notebook computers and 19in rack mounted systems with ruggedised monitors will be demonstrated. Steatite's battery division will showcase its capabilities in designing and manufacturing custom battery solutions for high capacity applications in harsh environments. http://www.steatite.co.uk Stand 2470 Mil spec performance TTI has increased the number of technical sales personnel and focused product specialists within its asset management teams and says it offers the industry's broadest portfolio of military spec high reliability and COTs products. Documentation and traceability is offered to MIL-STD 1686, with TTI being the first distributor to be ISO9001:2000 registered in all its operations across the world. Services including: date/lot code tracebility, barcode labelling and a connector assembly facility. http://www.ttiinc.com Stand 139 Customisable power supplies Vicor offers a selection of standard MIL-COTS power products for the defence and aerospace industry. It says its mass customisation concept provides customers with a comprehensive line of power solutions including modular, high-density ac/dc and dc/dc modules, configurable power supplies and custom power systems. Vicor has a range of field tested power solutions for harsh environments and says it can supply state of the art performance in terms of power density, efficiency, noise and ease of use. http://www.vicr.com Stand 2555