-- BNs Security & Defence Division Delivers Two UAV Command & Control Vehicles To University of Southamptons Autonomous Systems Research Group
Alton, UK. 2 July 2015: BN Security & Defence, our specialist solutions division, has delivered two custom-built, feature-packed UAV Command and Control (CC) vehicles to the Autonomous Systems Research Group (ASRG) at the University of Southampton.
The strategic research group is funded by agencies across Europe to undertake work in autonomous systems, sensing, computing, communications and platforms that provide world class, cost-effective capabilities for scientists and business. The two new vehicles will play a central role in the Universitys engagement, providing essential command and control facilities for a range of international UAV missions - sub-sea, surface, land, air and space - including pollution monitoring, weather prediction and civil unmanned aviation.
Impressive capability in a compact footprint Designed, project-managed and custom-built by the BN Security & Defence team in Hampshire, the vehicles deliver impressive technical capability within a compact footprint. Based on a high--oofed long-wheel-base Mercedes Sprinter chassis, each vehicle has been expertly converted to provide space-efficiency and excellent ergonomics for a team of operators on the move.
The technology specified and deployed by BN Security & Defence includes specialist systems integrated with a range of Commercial Off-the-Shelf products for maximum operational performance and minimal weight load.
Each vehicle features a roof-mounted Ka band satellite dish with a pneumatically actuated 10 metre communications mast to enable secure, agile field communications and telemetry to their UAV and drones. Marine type radar systems and high quality long-range cameras enable efficient UAV system control and tracking. Smart operational features In addition to a 10kw generator and inverter system for lighting, power and air-conditioning, the vehicles include smart features to improve the working environment such as desks with inset video displays and control panels; overhead storage and cabinets, secure helium gas and fuel storage facilities; rear workshop space for repair and storage; a sliding seat system to comfortably get the team onsite and an external side awning to provide an observation point where students can follow a mission via a large externally-mounted flat screen and listen into the main control area via the integrated communication system.
Research missions by their very nature generate vast amounts of data for analysis and recording. Whilst the information gathered can be streamed via the satellite communications system, rack-mounted NAS drives inside each vehicle enable large amounts of data to be stored and analyzed efficiently on location.
Expert design & custom-builtThe technical furniture and desks within each vehicle - all expertly designed and built by BN Security and Defences partner Custom Consoles - provide four command and control positions to run a typical mission: primary radar and visual contact; avionics control, management and system health; payload operations to monitor the UAV sensors as well as cameras for imagery, with a position for airspace and virtual radar monitoring. The front driver and passenger seats can rotate and provide desk space to accommodate additional mission support. All positions have headsets to enable communication with each other as well as with the safety pilot who is typically positioned outside the vehicle, watching and landing the UAV units. Following a detailed tender process,the award of this prestigious contract to BN Security & Defence was an easy decision for the selection board.
"Their understanding of the situational awareness sector, proven craftsmanship and top quality customised vehicle design, made BN Security & Defence the natural solution partner for this project and they have exceeded our expectations," said Professor James Scanlan, ASRGs Director. "From the outset, the team engaged with us to understand our special operational requirements and worked closely with us to specify the appropriate technology and workflow we needed to perform. With these new vehicles we are confident of our ability to conduct cutting-edge earth science research and achieve a global top five reputation for cross-disciplinary excellence."
"Were delighted to have played a key role in the delivery of this project and to see the vehicles actively deployed in ground-breaking research," said Tom Haye, Managing Director BN Security & Defence. "t s a great example of how our specialist team can successfully take a concept through design to delivery and add real value tot he process with our experience and approach to innovation."
Royal Television Society DroneFest, 8 July Following recent deployments focused on maritime incident response and unmanned cargo aircraft use in remote and island regions, one of the ASRG vehicles will be showcased at the upcoming Royal Television Society Thames Valley s Drone Fest at Pincents Manor Hotel onWednesday 8 July, 18.30 hrs. For further details about this event visit www.rts.org.uk
For further information and press enquiries about BN S&D and this project, please contact:
Tom Haye, MD BN Security &Defence
T: +44 (0) 1420 592 100 | E: tom@bsnd.co.uk
Melanie O Brien, MJO CommunicationsLtd
T: +44 (0) 7851 375 247 | E: mel@mjocommunications.co.uk
-ends-
About BN Security & Defence
BN Security & Defence provides bespoke cutting-edge technology solutions to meet policing and security, cyber, situational awareness and critical communications requirements. We integrate software and hardware into fixed and mobile systems to bring the digital edge to your operations. Our solutions help tackle the problems of responding to civil unrest, criminal, terrorist and cyber threats, natu
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
20/11/2025
LONDON The winners of the Rise Awards 2025, which recognize women and companies whose achievements have stood out in the media technology industry, have been an...
20/11/2025
SANTA MONICA & NEW YORK Lionsgate's Worldwide Television Distribution Group and Debmar-Mercury have launched MovieSphere Gold in more than 30 million homes....
20/11/2025
ALAMEDA, Calif. Clear-Com has introduced its four-channel HelixNet beltpack, a next-generation advancement of its widely used two-channel model, and anticipates...
20/11/2025
NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J. Streaming technology and services provider Kiswe has launched Kiswe Core, a next-generation cloud-based platform designed to simplify the s...
20/11/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Dolby Laboratories has signed on as an official signature partner of the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC) for the 2026 Super Bowl and the we...
20/11/2025
STUTTGART, Germany 3 Screen Solutions (3SS) has announced that the Canadian multiservice operator Telus has launched its Telus TV+ entertainment platform on Sam...
20/11/2025
Major League Baseball has announced deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix covering 2026-2028 that make ESPN the exclusive rightsholder of MLB.TV, see regula...
20/11/2025
Berklee Presents Holiday Extravaganza: Duke Ellingtons The Nutcracker Suite and ...
20/11/2025
The How To Gael pocast gals, comedian Chris Kent and quizzer Darragh Ennis drop by for the fifth episode of The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In
In the penultimat...
20/11/2025
Tonight on RT Prime Time, Marie Crowe on how a Reading School changed her son&#...
20/11/2025
The NVIDIA Blackwell RTX upgrade is nearing the finish line, letting GeForce NOW Ultimate members across the globe experience true next-generation cloud gaming ...
20/11/2025
Tanya Berger-Wolf's first computational biology project started as a bet wit...
19/11/2025
Sphere Sound Kicks Up Its Heels at Radio City Music HallUltra-immersive system from the singular Las Vegas venue is also ready for sportsBy Dan Daley, Audio Edi...
19/11/2025
The Future of Stadium and Arena Video Control Rooms: Tech Leaders Talk 4K, IP, a...
19/11/2025
One Year at Intuit Dome: Walking Through the Stunning Arena's Advanced Video...
19/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: IMG's Francois Westcombe Goes Inside IMG's Annual Digital ...
19/11/2025
Inside Brighton & Hove Albion's fan-first media machine By George Bevir
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
Brighton & Hove Albion'...
19/11/2025
Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 1: Kansas Athletics Brings New Production Power to Rebu...
19/11/2025
Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 2: A Pro's Guide to Kansas Athletics' New Video...
19/11/2025
MLB Media Rights Shakeup: NBC Inks Three-Year Deal for Sunday Night Baseball, Pe...
19/11/2025
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade attends the premiere of Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 26, 2025, in Pa...
19/11/2025
Awards season is heating up, and the International Documentary Association just ...
19/11/2025
Aerojet Rocketdyne President Ken Bedingfield and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders were joined by state and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking o...
19/11/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
19/11/2025
Calrec gives Phoenix Broadcast Solutions its full support in strategic multi-year enterprise partnership New Singapore OB company invests in Calrec technology f...
19/11/2025
October brings a larger audience in front of TV screens. The cooler autumn weather and the continuation of new programming schedules brought increases in both t...
19/11/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...
19/11/2025
Vitec has acquired Datapath, a developer of real-time video processing for large-scale video walls, AVoIP content distribution and KVM control in mission-critic...
19/11/2025
NEVADA CITY, Calif. Telestream has introduced ARGUS Version 2.3, which introduces Live Look, a feature that lets operators inspect live and on-demand streams vi...
19/11/2025
STAMFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK Charter Communications, Inc. has announced a major deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that establishes AWS as one of Charters stra...
19/11/2025
TOKYO Atomos has announced a major firmware update that brings integrated camera control to the Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX its new CFexpress-based monitor-recor...
19/11/2025
Berklee's Signature Series Reimagines the Musical and Visual Artistry of Col...
19/11/2025
PlayBox Neo departed the NAB Show New York 2025 on a high note. The company's all-new PlayBox Neo Suite made a splash on the show floor, drawing strong inte...
19/11/2025
AAVBR (American Audio Visual Baton Rouge), a leading full-service event production company serving Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, has enhanced its product...
19/11/2025
In its mission to deliver live event services combining advanced engineering with a creative approach to captivating live sports and entertainment experiences, ...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK Short-form vertical video has exploded across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, but a new survey commissioned by Media.net, a provider of c...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK YES Network, the regional sports network home of the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets, and CAMB.AI have struck a partnership they said will leverage ...
19/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has issued detailed guidance on filings that were disrupted by the government shutdown. While many of those fil...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK The popularity of NFL games is largely responsible for continued seasonal momentum in TV viewership into October (measured Sept. 29-Oct. 26), according...
19/11/2025
DirecTV has announced that its MyFree DirecTV streaming service has added seven new channels. Those include four sports services, NBA FAST, Red Bull TV, DAZN Ri...
19/11/2025
SURREY, U.K. Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has launched Flair Bridge, a compact device that transforms how operators control the company's motion-contr...
19/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission, which is continuing to rapidly ramp up its operations after the end of the federal government shutdown, has se...
19/11/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...
19/11/2025
Martin Freeman, Jessie Buckley, Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon, Eddie the Eagle and ...
19/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz collaborates with Broadcom to enable testing and validation of n...
19/11/2025
Back to All News
Innato, starring Imanol Arias and Elena Anaya, arrives on Netf...
19/11/2025
Back to All News
Guillermo del Toro Sits Down With Troll 2 Director Roar Uthaug...
19/11/2025
Some projects feel monumental from the moment the first phone call comes in. When BCE, the host broadcaster appointed to coordinate the national coverage, asked...
-- BNs Security & Defence Division Delivers Two UAV Command & Control Vehicles To University of Southamptons Autonomous Systems Research Group 
