We are having built special purpose Labs which should be ready in part by Autumn 2016, along with a new HQ, and have announced to MoD that we will call all of this AREA17 along with any further sites that we expand into. Their use within the wider law enforcement and defence research and development communities will be possible and carefully planned/controlled.

This main site will have a number of dedicated specialist ranges and facilities to support our research and development. In addition to this we are looking at a number of other sites across the UK to provide test facilities and other ranges for our needs. We are likely to have a base of operations in London and around half a dozen sites throughout the UK within the next three to five years. Each site will be named after a significant scientist or engineer that the UK is proud of for their significant contribution to the UK and its allies.

The main site, subject to planning, will contain a non-sterile copy of a nine acre segment of a real village, 100m weapons range, a number of specialist ranges, special fit and maintenance workshops, an Underwater Research Lab {some 22.4m litres of ultra-clear water - film set quality with scissor lifts}, fabrication workshops, research labs, restaurant {with conferencing and coffee-style cafe} and around 5MW of Fuel Cells and bio-plant to support the site; medium term plans are to have extensive MEMS and Device Fabrication labs at the same site and extend the ranges. All set in a lovely picturesque environment which will be landscaped and have considerable woodlands. Our two off-road trail ranges meander through these woods testing any equipment or special fit; they also house our aerial woodland range. Formal vehicle testing and approvals would be done at MILLBROOK given their extensive and world-class facilities. 

Current plans are also looking at advanced rapid passenger transport systems to further enhance the operational tempo and cohesion of the site. This enables us to ensure the car parks are at better points on the site such as the extremities and keep all the labs, ranges and facilities all within a low carbon footprint 'campus'.

ADM Shine Technologies Ltd will make these Labs state of the art - such that one of these will be fitted with a special configuration AMS Neve 88RS 48 channel desk for advanced audio work. Another will be fitted with a FEG 3D scanning electron microscope for our micro devices work. Plus SMD auto-placement and wave soldering from the very best manufacturers in the world... This is a very small glimpse at what actually will make up the stunning facilities in AREA17.

Our security and infrastructure are key; so are all the interconnects and products we deliver as well as the support services we offer. To that end we have chosen to become a partner with SOPHOS given the industry leading capabilities they offer and the absolutely strong performance of their tools, software and solutions. This will not only be for our own infrastructure across our UK sites but also for all of our products and service offerings. You can also see more at our Secure Products Pages for Platforms and Mobiles & Tablets.

Our engineering work makes solid use of leading edge CAD and simulation tools. To that end defence tools such as McCabe's Battlemap (IQ, BAT, ACT and CM) are being introduced to ensure software/firmware testing, configuration and release management and maintainability are thoroughly assessed and underpinned.

Rapid prototyping and excellent technical authoring facilities make for a solid base upon which to produce technical demonstrators and Beta release products that can be supported and operated by end-users and their scientific teams (e.g. DSTL). The ability to in-house print, bind and finish these enables the highest levels of confidentiality to be maintained at all stages.

Our fabrication is to the very best aviation and defence standards and requires solid adherence to a good quality management system, our Standard Operating Procedures and the consistent use of our configuration and project management toolsets.

Each of our sites has a specific focus and role, and it is our due diligence to ensure whichever site or sites interwork that this is both secure and seamless.

'Goods Out' at the AREA17 Site couldn't be easier - integrated into an airframe, vehicle, palleted/posted out, airlifted out or hand-delivered by our team to the customer!