Meggitt introduces new aerial target technology
Published on December 16, 2011
Medicine Hat, Alberta, December 9, 2011 - Meggitt Training Systems (Meggitt) is preparing to introduce a new aerial target technology- the Sand-fly Helicopter. Meggitt refers to the target as their most prominent success in research and development, this year. Dylan Richards, Director of Finance for Meggitt, projects that the system will see commercial success in anywhere between three to five years.
“We’re working on making it unmanned, but we’re still not there yet. You can see when comparing to some of our other equipment that the control laws for systems with a propeller are a lot more difficult,” said Richards.
Due to international attention the team at Meggitt anticipates that the Sand-fly will be fairly profitable and reach similar successes as their other training systems. Currently, Meggitt develops products in areas such as land target engineering and unmanned sea targets.
In 2011, the team successfully developed and sold the Semi-Permanent Road Range (SPRR), an interactive training simulator that is the length of two football fields. It took about a year to manufacture entirely, with much of the physical building being done in Taber, Alberta. Although it took some time to build, the unit sold within the year. The simulator is the first of its size, making that two world records set in two years; the first accomplished in 2010 when they successfully operated 16 Hammerhead boat targets simultaneously.
Meggitt reported sales of 56 Hammerhead boats, this year, which is a significant increase from the previous year where only 5 were sold. Richards predicts the sales of this particular target will rise to about 100 in 2012.
Although, a large volume of their systems are sold outside of the region and exported globally, Richards explained that he attributes part of the company’s success to the people;
“The biggest thing about this area, more than anything else, is the people. The people here are well trained; they’re well educated. They have an incredible work ethic. It’s the people here, and their will and desire is what makes this go. That’s an Alberta thing.”
To learn more about Meggitt and the products they produce visit www.meggitttrainingsystems.com or go to www.edalliance.ca to learn about the unmanned vehicle systems sector in southeast Alberta.
The EDA would like to thank Jessica Leroux, a student from the Medicine Hat College for submitting this article, as well as Meggitt Training Systems for providing the opportunity for young professionals to gain real world experience in southeast Alberta.