A new hearing protection system for UK Dismounted Close Combat soldiers provided by Marlborough Communications, part of Cohort plc, amd manufactured by Invisio, has achieved its in service date (ISD) three months ahead of schedule.
The INVISIO S10 Tactical Hearing Protection Systems for the Dismounted Close Combat User. (THPS DCCU) is an in-ear hearing protection and communication system for use on a single radio and consists of an in-ear hearing protection headset with control unit housing the electronics for situational awareness and impulse noise protection. As a result of the early ISD, Initial Operating Capability for the system has also been declared five months ahead of schedule.
MCL and its Danish partner Invisio Communications has supplied the S10 Hearing Protection capability with a full support package for the next four years, with the option to extend for a further three years. The initial order was worth £11.2 million and further orders are expected to support the Royal Navy, RAF and Reservists.
The system has undergone rigorous testing and user trials and is proven to address the key issues surrounding hearing protection, situational awareness (SA), ease of use and comfort.
"The S10 is a major innovative step forward in soldier health and safety, building on our supply of Tactical In-Ear Protection Plugs as part of the Tactical Hearing Protection System for the Basic User Soldier (THPS BU),"MCL Managing Director Darren Allery, commented. "Working closely with our partner INVISIO and the MoD, we were able to introduce this new capability into service before time by taking advantage of our agility and unique capability in this area.This ‘fit and forget’ hearing protection also provides unrivalled situational awareness, crystal clear communications and importantly can be customised to ensure optimum comfort during operations, even in high noise environments."
"This fantastic achievement has been enabled by a close working relationship fostered between STSP, MCL and Invisio,"Allan Aird, MoD Head of Command and Battlespace Management Soldier, Training and Special Programmes Delivery Team, said. "Achieving such a key milestone so early in the programme is testament to the hard work and dedication of both teams in delivering such a key piece of capability to the user. The CBM team very much look forward to continuing this relationship throughout the service life of the equipment.”
