Security equipment

meeting military applications

Londesborough Security Equipment Ltd develops and manufactures a wide range of military clothing and security equipment.

Londesborough Security Equipment Ltd was established in 1962 to design and manufacture Xenon Navigation beacons for military aircraft, warships and airfield security systems. These were extended for use in the oil and petrochemical industries to provide high-power navigation beacons for oil rigs and platforms and warning beacons in chemical plants and oil refineries. Oil tankers and gas carriers carried these beacons at their mastheads to indicate they were carrying hazardous cargoes. Also in the oil industry powerful explosion-proof hand lamps were designed for tankers and gas carriers and a military version produced the first high-performance hand lamp that gave out a narrow 1km beam for use in anti-terrorist work and battlefield illumination. The military searchlight and two Xenon Navigation beacons were NATO-codified.

BaleenTM underground barrier

In 1967 terrorist groups began to use vehicles for their activities and it became clear that means should be developed to cause suspect vehicles to be stopped and their occupants apprehended by security forces. The lazy tongs portable road barrier was designed for this purpose and has provided the simplest and most effective way to stop vehicles and apprehend the occupants unharmed.

The requirement soon became evident to afford protection to military and civil establishments from terrorist factions using vehicles loaded with explosives that would be hurled at a target to inflict maximum damage. A series of barrier systems was evolved, utilising defence requirements around the world. Londesborough has the largest range of barrier systems available.

Londesborough also has designed a new concept in interchangeable military footwear that provides wearers with the opportunity to select for themselves footwear that is relative to the task and the environment. This is achieved by interchanging the uppers, soles and heels.

Uppers in a wide range of materials can be attached within minutes to soles and heels using nuts and bolts. The range of material used for uppers includes canvas for hot countries, ballistic protective materials and special-purpose materials suitable for a wide range of terrains. The footwear has indefinite storage, lies flat and is lightweight for inclusion in a kit bag.

Londesborough's new innovation in NBC footwear offers protection from known CW agents. Protection from the ingress of CW agents is achieved by the encapsulation of the primary boot/shoe within a sealed container. The upper is made from laminated materials welded to the required container and then attached to the sole and heel by a simple yet effective means to ensure against the ingress of CW agents. Easy entry and exit from the overboot is effected by a bellows-type expansion arrangement that, when tightened by securing straps, affords a gas-tight seal between boots and trousers. This footwear has an indefinite shelf life and is cost-effective to manufacture.

Londesborough's Clik-fit^TM innovation originally was designed in compliance with the military requirement for a quick-release holder for the disposable chemical warfare indicator disk on a soldier's uniform.The Clik-fit also enables a variety of items such as hand grenades or a compass to be attached to a soldier's uniform in such a way that they are available for quick release. Also the system offers a secure and easily accessible means for holding keys.

The waist version has a specially designed holder that uses a leaf spring as a retaining mechanism. It secures the entry of a spigot until the leaf spring is depressed by a push button mounted on the front of the holder. The spigot is the link between the split key ring holding the keys and the holder. The waist belt fits through the holder so that the keys are secure and available. A version for women can be clipped over a skirt waistband or used with a waist belt. The Clik-fit system is also adapted for use in key cabinets, where rows of Clik-fit holders retain bunches of keys securely. These can be released and handed to key users who then can attach them at waist-level.

Londesborough's policy is that of continuous research and development into vehicle-arresting and entrapment systems and its Rising Spike^TM is an underground barrier designed to be incorporated in a road matrix. It is manufactured in one-metre lengths so that any system can be accommodated. A steel grille lies on the surface of a road into which slots are cut to allow the rise and fall of a series of tyre-destructive elements. The underground one-metre steel compartments contain one or two revolving steel shafts onto which tyre destructors are attached. The barrier rapidly deflates the tyres of an intruder vehicle, causing it to come to a standstill in a short distance without harming the occupants of the vehicle.

The company's Baleen^TM system also is an underground barrier incorporated within a road matrix. A steel grille lies at the road surface into which slots are cut to allow the rise and fall of steel blades. Within a steel compartment, hardened steel blades are mounted on rotating shafts. The angle of inclination can be adjusted to accommodate the threat. This equipment is designed to destroy vehicle tyres and take out the lower engine and steering gear, bringing the vehicle to a standstill. Crash kinetic energy is absorbed into the surrounding ground area through the geometric construction of the system.

The Poniard^TM unit is fully man portable and can be deployed across a road in the minimum of time. The unit is contained in a carrying case and is constructed in one-metre sections. These can be used to form an impenetrable barrier capable of bringing to a halt vehicles of up to five tonnes. Hardened steel blades mounted on rotating shafts are housed within a steel low-profile construction. The angle of the blades is adjustable to accommodate the threat.

The Scramasax^TM man-portable unit is manufactured in one-metre sections joined to form any convenient length. Hardened steel blades are mounted on rotating shafts over which a slotted-steel grating allows blades to protrude in an active condition. Steel ramps are attached to each side to enable a vehicle to pass over the barrier. The unit is controlled by a portable control box that can be card-operated if required. This system is designed to take out vehicles up to five tonnes.