PRESS

Marshall Land Systems and Team Stellar win Grand Challenge
Development Contract

Cambridge, 26th February 2009; The MoD Grand Challenge winning Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), developed by Marshall Systems Design Group (MSDG), is to be enhanced following the award of a development contract to Team Stellar, holders of the R J Mitchell Trophy.

As part of the overall contract MSDG, part of Cambridge based Marshall Land Systems, will be augmenting the onboard processing on the tracked UGV and adding new sensors, including a laser scanner which will assist in the vehicles route following capability. During the 100 day study MSDG’s work will enhance reliability and make the vehicle more rugged before the updated Team Stellar solution is demonstrated to the customer during May 2009.

“We are delighted that the Ministry of Defence has asked Marshall Systems Design Group to enhance the unmanned vehicle,” said Peter Callaghan, CEO of Marshall Land Systems. “The contract and the winning entry demonstrated not only the company’s ability to respond with an agile solution for the Grand Challenge and the follow up, but also how as a team all members have acted with integrity in developing a quality solution.”

The main contract has been awarded to Selex as the prime contractor, the company will also be leading the system integration and developing the ground control station including the user interface and communications links. The team will continue to be led, and project managed, by Stellar Research Services. Other members of the team will be consolidating the UAV element (Blue Bear Systems), increasing the threat detection and reliability of the software (Cranfield Applied Mathematics and Computing Group), the Mission Planning software (Cranfield Autonomous Systems Group) and the threat detection radars (TRW Conekt).

In August 2008 Team Stellar beat off ten other competitors in the wind and rain on Salisbury Plain to win the MoD’s Grand Challenge. A unanimous decision by the judges resulted in the team being awarded the RJ Mitchell Trophy named after the designer of the Spitfire which earned legendary status for its decisive role in the Battle of Britain.

Notes for Editors

Marshall Land Systems (MLS) is part the Marshall Group, a large (£750M) family owned independent group of companies involved in the automotive, aerospace and land systems areas. Predominantly based in Cambridge UK, Marshall Group can trace its history back to 1909.

MLS specialises predominantly in defence vehicle and shelter design, manufacture, integration and product support. MLS has three major components, of which MSDG is one, that design and produce shelters and specialist vehicles, manufacture vehicle load beds and a specialist design division which carries out UOR work, EOD, EMI, EMC, Safety Cases and Consultancy.

Recent Major Announcements;

Marshall Riotous Assembly Protection (RAP) Kits for MoD Support Vehicles

Marshall helps ASTOR to enter service

British Forces to get New Deployable Machine Shop

Marshall Supplies Protected Shelters to Swedish Defence Forces

Norwegian DLO Accepts 3rd Field Hospital

Marshall and Team Stellar win Grand Challenge

For more news go to: www.marshall-ls.com/press.asp

Contact

Tim Otter or Mark Broughton

Future Business Director Marontech Communications

Tel +44 (0) 1223 373079 Tel: +44 (0) 1428 647979