Naval and defence handling systems

When you need a custom handling system

On board a ship, or inside a weapon system, critical loads, vehicles and components have to be transferred, lifted, launched, recovered and positioned in tight spaces, with limited weight and in conditions that do not exist on land: ship motion, shock and vibration. An off-the-shelf product rarely fits these constraints.

Weapon system integrators and shipyards bring us in when the handling system has to be designed around their interfaces and requirements, and must reach the ship already verified.

What we handle

• Defence materielTransfer, loading and stowage on board, with the safety that critical loads require.
• Uncrewed aerial and underwater vehiclesLaunch, recovery, stowage and handling on board.
• Weapon system componentsLifting, tilting and positioning for installation, replacement and maintenance.
• Shipboard loadsTranslation and positioning in tight compartments, with limited footprint and weight.

Shipboard requirements

• Shock and vibration: we design to the MIL-STD shock and vibration requirements specified by the client, and check the structures with static and dynamic FEM analysis.
• Space and weight: the system has to fit the ship’s compartments and the weapon system interfaces, with limited footprint and mass.
• Safety: the load is critical, and the safety of operators and load drives the design choices.
• Client specifications: we work to the technical specifications of the integrator or shipyard and the standards they call up.

From design to built system

We do not just deliver drawings. We design the system and build it, because the design is refined on the real hardware: functional tests bring out the problems that do not show on paper, and the corrections go back into the design before the system goes on board.

At the end we hand over the updated design and, if further units are needed, we can supply them ourselves, built from the same refined design.

Mechanical, electrical and control design, structural calculations, manufacturing and technical documentation all stay with one point of responsibility, at our site in Navacchio, near Pisa.

Confidentiality and authorisations

We operate under a licence pursuant to Article 28 of the Italian Consolidated Law on Public Security (TULPS), and we sign a non-disclosure agreement before going into the details of the project. For the same reason we do not publish the systems we have delivered in this field: we discuss them with you directly.

How we work

1. RequirementsWe start from the client’s specification: loads, interfaces, space on board, applicable MIL-STD.
2. ConceptWe define the system architecture and its integration on board or in the weapon system.
3. DesignMechanical, electrical and control design of the system.
4. ChecksStatic and dynamic FEM analysis for shock and vibration.
5. Build and testWe build the system and test it to refine the design.
6. DocumentationWe deliver the updated design, calculation reports and technical documentation; if needed, we supply further units.

Sectors

We work with weapon system integrators and shipyards. In defence we also design test rigs for weapon systems and lifting equipment.

Defence Naval

Quality

We are certified to UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 for the design of machines and mechanical components and for technical services for the mechanical sector.