Last month at DPRTE, the Sarsen Technology and
HIPER Global teams joined forces to showcase the future of UK defence procurement. As Sarsen
officially integrates into the HIPER Global family, our joint presence at Stand 54 highlighted a unified mission: delivering high-performance, rugged compute solutions from the board level to full rack-scale deployment.
The energy at Farnborough was centred on one clear requirement - resilience at the tactical edge. Whether discussing the next generation of UAVs/Drones or the evolution of C5ISR capabilities, the conversation always returned to how we process data in contested environments. A major highlight was the Astute Systems GVA battlefield management demo, which drew significant crowds. It illustrated that Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA) and rugged GPU acceleration (such as the Blackwell-based EIZO cards we displayed) are no longer "nice-to-haves" but essential components for modern situational awareness.
I’ve been in the industry for 18 years, and even I was surprised by how many people wanted to talk to us about the rapid digitisation of the battlefield. Our stand location (and the neon orange lighting) made us a bit of a beacon on the exhibition floor, and allowed us to sit at the heart of the discussions with everyone from the MOD right through to the smallest drone manufacturers, showcasing our "tech-stack" designed for the most demanding operational environments.
Key Market Takeaways
Drones and UAVs: The demand for "smaller, faster, smarter" continues. Every conversation started with, ‘How small is it?’ We showcased the
Annapolis Micro Systems WILDSTAR SAF1 - a small form-factor Direct RF FPGA module that provides the high-performance signal processing required for modern electronic warfare and UAV data links. The four channels, each of 64 GSps A/D and D/A converting at 10-bit resolution, are now available in a man-portable solution.
Rugged Vehicle Technology: The
Astute Systems GVA demo was a standout favourite. By showcasing real-time battlefield management on GVA-compliant hardware, we demonstrated how vehicle crews can integrate disparate data feeds into a single, actionable interface. Everyone who came to see it was surprised at how impressive it is. Ross Newman did a great job at explaining all the capabilities - the demo will be live at DVD at Millbrook in September.
C5ISR: Our Mission Computing section featured the IP65-rated systems and the
Ecrin Systems NanoONYX, proving that massive compute power can survive in the harshest "dirty" environments. We were also very pleased to have the Sabertooth AI in the UK for people to have a really good look at. This little powerhouse combines intense GPU processing power with compact, MIL-STD hardware to provide real-time analysis of sensor data in the harshest environments.
What was really exciting for me personally was being able to talk about so many different types of technology. The integration of Sarsen into HIPER Global means we can now offer a seamless path from rugged, embedded components based on standard form factors such as VPX/SOSA to the custom-built, short-depth tactical servers required for mobile Command and Control.
Missed us at the show? We’d love to show you what we’re up to –
book a meeting with the team here.
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