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Instrument Systems Division Badge

Technical Information

Catalogue No: C1582
Category: Corporate/Business
Object Type: Medal/Badge
Object Name: Instrument Systems Division Badge
Part No: None
Serial No: None
Manufacturer: Marconi Avionics
Division: Instrument Systems [ISD]
Platform(s):
Year of Manufacture: circa 1981
Dimensions: Width (mm): 56
Height (mm): 56
Depth (mm): 7
Weight (g): 8
Location: Pin-On Badges Box in Cupboard CK (Display 6) [Main Store]
Inscription(s):

ISD
Instrument Systems Division
Marconi Avionics

Notes:

This is a metal badge with a pin fastener at the rear. It shows the Marconi Avionics logo repeated around the rim with the name ‘Instrument Systems Division' inside that. The centre of the badge has the initials ‘ISD’ set on a blue finger pattern. The badges date from the 1978 -1984 timescale probably linked to the SCADC Air Data programme. The RAA has two of these badges.

The Company in common with most organisations has a wide range of items promoting the Company name as a form of advertising. The range extends from  'cheap and cheeful'; the sort of thing that would be on the Stand at an Exhibition like the SBAC Farnborough Show. The young visitors love collecting these items along with pictures and Brochures. Such items would include the following:

Stickers, Carrier Bags, Furry Bugs, simple aircraft assembly kits, Cardboard Head Up Display, Drinks Mats. Sometimes a collection of items is put together in something like a Pouch or presentation bag.

A more up-market offering, of better quality, might include:

Mugs, Pens, Key Fobs, Tape Dispensers, Magnifying Glasses, Model cars or the Hybrid Bus, Penknife and Pens.

The top range gifts are usually presented to important visitors or taken on visits to customers and these might include:

Executive Toys, Paperweights, Business Card Holders, Wallets, Clocks, Calculators, Engraved glasses and Glass blocks with a contained model and legend (BAE Systems liked to produce glass Globes to illustrate the global reach of the company). A rather special gift has been a Hologram of a coin.

Ties have been a regular gift in the days when they were regularly worn and were presented as recognition of achievement or membership of a group or ‘club as well as being a promotional gift. Employees for example will be encouraged to wear a T-Shirt with a Corporate Logo which gives a corporate identity. 

The RAA includes items of this type acquired from Suppliers and visits to Customers.

 

In 1981 Instrument Systems Division began the design of a new generation of Air Data Computers designed for the combined USAF and USN Standard Central Air Data Computer (SCADC) programme. The system was designed to fulfil the retrofit requirements of 38 different aircraft types and to do so with only four configurations. The aircraft types include the following:-

 

A-4M and TA-4J Skyhawk, A-6E/F, KA-6D and EA-6A Intruder, EA-6B Prowler, TC-4C Gulfstream, A-7D/E/K and TA-7C Corsair II, C-2A Greyhound, E-2C Hawkeye, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-5A/B Galaxy, C-141A/B Starlifter, F-111A/E/D/F, FB-111A, EF-111A, F-4C/D/E/G/J/N/S, and RF-4B/C Phantom and the S-3A/B and US-3A Viking. In 1992 an order for a further 290 units was received, being the eighth option, bringing the total procured to 5552 units. 387 units of the SCADC system were at this time being supplied for the F-14 Tomcat.

 

The high commonality was achieved with a unique software re-configurable design. Output parameters, ranges and scalings are selected for each aircraft type by the software, which recognises the host from a code wired into the aircraft connector pins. The SCADC core hardware set provides over 80% of the hardware in every application and the remainder is addressed by one or two special-to-type modules. A multiplicity of analogue interfaces can be handled and the Mil-Std 1553 DataBus is also a feature. Production commenced in 1985 with first deliveries the following year and in 1989 these deliveries surpassed 4,000 units. In addition in 1988 ISD received the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement for SCADC.

 

Click to enlarge