Plessey Radar
of Cowes, Isle of Wight, and of Addlestone
1965 Plessey Co took over the non-marine radar part of Decca Radar [1] under Edward Fennessy, which formed the basis of Plessey Radar. The company had to move out of Decca's premises at Chessington, and relocated to Addlestone.
1968 Item about apprentices [2]
1974 Addlestone, Weybridge, Surrey, KT15 2PW: Divisional managing director P. E. G. Bates; general manager E. R. B. Wills. National air defence radar system; mobile air defence radar systems; three-dimensional air defence radar; terminal area and en route air traffic control systems; primary and secondary radars for defence and civil aviation; naval and coastal radars; naval electronic equipment including displays, data handling, IFF, weapon control and action information systems; meteorological systems including weather and windfinding radar for civil and military operations; upper air systems; hydrological systems; oceanographic systems; message-switching and software systems; defence communications networks; information handling systems. [3]
Plessey Isle of Wight: Production of radars for military and commercial Air Traffic control (ATC), naval and land based applications.
Products included ACR-430 motion detection radar used to control traffic on airfields, AR-1, AR-5, AR-5D, AR-15, AR-15AB, AR-15D, AR-15M, AR-15/2, DASR-1, DASR-3 then, in cooperation with ITT the AR-320 3D radar system for various ATC and air defence (AD) applications. Plessey also cooperated with Siemens in the production of the Astral and AWS-2, AWS-3, AWS-4, AWS-5, AWS-5A/B/C/D, AWS-6, AWS-6/100/200/300 series, AWS-6D/E, AWS-7, AWS-8, AWS-9(2D) and (3D) all for maritime applications whilst the Guardsman-C, Guardsman-2 and Guardsman-S were widely deployed in both civil and military airfields. The Company also produced the CDR-431 radar for coastal surveillance and the Commander S, a mobile system employed by the Army in 1996. Plessey was variously involved in the production of IFF (Indicate Friend / Foe) equipment including the Condor system and IFF Mk 10 that became a World standard for NATO and commercial IFF. (The 'Condor' they sold was actually the Cossor (now Raytheon) Condor system, now in its 3rd generation. Plessey were a Prime Contractor for a number of sales, most notably to the RAF, but it was always marketed as a Cossor product, which was also sold independently in much larger numbers.[4]) The Company also produced the HPR and MPR signature measurement systems that were used to evaluated radar cross sectional reflection areas of ships and aircraft, which in turn lead to the development of stealth aircraft and ship designs. Over time, with improving experience and skill Plessey designed and manufactured a range of additional specialist radar systems such as MSAM, MTCALS, P-SCAN 2000, Pike, PTR-826, PVS 2000, Sentinel, Sigma, Spectar, the Rapier fire control system for the British Army; the Type 93 and Type 101 for the Royal Air Force while the Types 993, 994 and 996 series were produced for the Royal Navy.
Early 1980s the main business became Plessey Displays, then later merged to become part of Plessey Naval Systems.
Other businesses that existed alongside Plessey Radar, or were spun off from Radar, included Plessey Airports.
Memories
2015/11/2015 MC Writes:
"My name is Michael Corke (Korky) and I started (at) Plessey Radar in 1967 at the age of 15, myself and 11 others were the first to do the EITB apprenticeship course. Some apprentices I remember were: Terry Nolan, Peter Toone, Peter Joyce, Frank Burns, Graham Maitland, the other just a distant memory, I remember all these old men in the factory who were probably 30 or 40 years old and thinking to my self “I am never going to stick this place” and now I am 63.
In 1967 there were large plates being laid for the 909 radar and in 1971 it was ready to be installed. The radar was fitted on board HMS Sheffield which was sunk at the Falklands. I worked on radars as a qualified wireman AR3D, WF3, ACR430, AR5, AR1, Skynet, 909 and more.
1983 I got married on the Saturday and on Tuesday I was asked to go to Peitersburg South Africa to do the up grade to 3 AR3Ds radars - gave up a honeymoon for the company we loved. We worked 7 days a week with overtime to meet deadlines, and of course with cutting edge technology the equipment was always being modified or upgraded.
In 1985 I was promoted to engineering were we came up with CAP computer assisted planning. I left Plessey Radar in 1990 and went to work for Plessey South Africa where I am today in 2015. Plessey South Africa own the name and the logo of Plessey. Plessey Semiconductors UK is up and running once more, their devices were and are the best, winning many awards. Plessey Semiconductors CEO came to Plessey SA in Cape Town to get permission to use the name Plessey, which they are doing and it’s nice to see Plessey in the UK once more. At Plessey Radar Cowes the wiremen, turners, fitters and design guys were the best, our radars were the best and the family at Plessey were very close, our slogan “PLESSEY THE BEST”……. and we were."