General Dynamics UK’s [GD] unique Platform Test Services (PTS) lab has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing of communications systems fitted to military vehicles.
The PTS lab is now accredited to test both U.K. military vehicles and those from overseas forces to Defense Standard 59-411 and similar international military standards as its customer base expands into other markets.
“This is a real step forward for the Laboratory and a great achievement by the team,” said Simon Gillespie, GDUK’s PTS laboratory manager. “It complements our TEMPEST accreditation and enables us to provide a wide range of accredited testing to our customers.”
TEMPEST testing ensures the security of classified information is not compromised by any unintentional signal.
The accreditation will benefit the delivery of the British Army’s Specialist Vehicle (SV) fleet, the future of its future tactical communications program and all other military vehicle refit activity done at the Lab at Pershore, Worcestershire, the company said yesterday in a statement.
The SV program, awarded to GDUK by the Ministry of Defense in 2010 to provide the next generation of armored fighting vehicles to the British Army, can now be formally tested at the lab (Defense Daily, March 23, 2010).
The GDUK lab has been involved in the integration of 15,500 armored fighting vehicles for the UK MoD, most recently the Foxhound light protected patrol vehicle that entered service with the British Army in Afghanistan in June.