Roke Manor Research Limited
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1956, Roke Manor Research Limited is a UK
company based at Roke Manor
in Romsey
, Hampshire
. It is a contract research and development business for communications
, networks
, and electronic
sensors. In addition to supporting Chemring
, work is also conducted in both the public and private sectors. The company also created Hawk-Eye
which is now used widely in sports such as Tennis and Cricket.
Roke has been part of the Chemring Group
since 2010, having been initially founded as part of the Plessey
company and then subsequently owned for almost 20 years by Siemens
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company based at Roke Manor
Roke Manor
Roke Manor is the name of the 17th century manor house approximately 2 km north-west of Romsey in Hampshire, England. The house and grounds are currently owned by Roke Manor Research Limited.- History :...
in Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. It is a contract research and development business for communications
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
, networks
Telecommunications network
A telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
, and electronic
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
sensors. In addition to supporting Chemring
Chemring Group
Chemring Group is a leading British-based producer of countermeasures for protecting air, sea and land-based platforms from threats. It is headquartered in Fareham and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, work is also conducted in both the public and private sectors. The company also created Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
which is now used widely in sports such as Tennis and Cricket.
Roke has been part of the Chemring Group
Chemring Group
Chemring Group is a leading British-based producer of countermeasures for protecting air, sea and land-based platforms from threats. It is headquartered in Fareham and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
since 2010, having been initially founded as part of the Plessey
Plessey
The Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...
company and then subsequently owned for almost 20 years by Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
.
Company history
- 1956 - Founded as Plessey Research Roke Manor Limited by the PlesseyPlesseyThe Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...
company. The first managing director was Harold J. Finden, an electrical engineer at PlesseyPlesseyThe Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...
. - 1990 - Passed to GEC-Siemens AGSiemens AGSiemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
in a joint takeover. - 1991 - Became wholly owned by Siemens AGSiemens AGSiemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
when GEC sold their 50% shareholding to Siemens Plessey Electronic Systems. - 2010 - Roke was acquired by the Chemring Group PLCChemring GroupChemring Group is a leading British-based producer of countermeasures for protecting air, sea and land-based platforms from threats. It is headquartered in Fareham and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
.
Technology
- 1960 - Working prototype memory systems developed for the then supercomputerSupercomputerA supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
, AtlasAtlas Computer (Manchester)The Atlas Computer was a joint development between the University of Manchester, Ferranti, and Plessey. The first Atlas, installed at Manchester University and officially commissioned in 1962, was one of the world's first supercomputers, considered to be the most powerful computer in the world at...
. - 1975 - Designed and developed the World's first monolithic Gallium Arsenide microwave circuit.
- 1995 - Work began on the Hostile Artillery LOcation system (HALO), an acoustic locatorSound rangingIn land warfare, sound ranging is a method of determining the coordinates of a hostile artillery battery using data derived from the sound of its guns firing...
of gunGunA gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s and mortarsMortar (weapon)A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
. HALO was developed to monitor ceasefireCeasefireA ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
violations in the Yugoslav warsYugoslav warsThe Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, and is in use with the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and other nations. - 2000 - Won the 2000 Worldaware Innovation Award for work on land mineLand mineA land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
clearance. - 2001 - Developed the Hawk-EyeHawk-EyeHawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
vision based ball tracking system.
Products
- RESOLVE - an electronic warfareElectronic warfareElectronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
manpack system for the intercept, geolocation and exploitation of tactical communications signals within the HFHigh frequencyHigh frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
to SHFSuper high frequencySuper high frequency refers to radio frequencies in the range of 3 GHz and 30 GHz. This band of frequencies is also known as the centimetre band or centimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one centimetres....
bands. In 2011 RESOLVE won a Queen's Award for Enterprise and Innovation. - Vigilance - a wide area multilaterationMultilaterationMultilateration is a navigation technique based on the measurement of the difference in distance to two or more stations at known locations that broadcast signals at known times. Unlike measurements of absolute distance or angle, measuring the difference in distance results in an infinite number of...
system for tracking aircraft. Users include Eurocontrol, in support of RVSMReduced Vertical Separation MinimaReduced Vertical Separation Minima or Minimum is an aviation term used to describe the reduction of the standard vertical separation required between aircraft flying above FL285 and up to FL410 from 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet...
. - Miniature Radar Altimeters (MRA) - a range of MRA products primarily designed for use on Airborne Targets and Unmanned Aerial VehiclesUnmanned aerial vehicleAn unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
(UAVs). - Epsilon - a software tool designed to predict the Radar Cross SectionRadar cross sectionRadar cross section is a measure of how detectable an object is with a radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy...
(RCS) of a target directly from its geometrical description. - LOCATE - a suite of integrated products for spectrum monitoring, direction findingDirection findingDirection finding refers to the establishment of the direction from which a received signal was transmitted. This can refer to radio or other forms of wireless communication...
, adaptive beamforming and geolocationGeolocationGeolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, such as a radar, mobile phone or an Internet-connected computer terminal...
of HFHigh frequencyHigh frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
signals.