In April 2023, Chelton hosted personnel from the UK’s Ministry of Defence at its purpose-built test facility in Redhill. The day opened with a briefing on the new all-weather facility followed by demonstrations showcasing key capabilities of both the site and Chelton’s explosive ordnance detection systems portfolio.

The test facility at Redhill is the latest to be added to a range of bespoke services offered by Chelton alongside rapid prototyping capabilities, engineering customisation and spiral development. The test site will offer a range of benefits to militaries and agencies looking to hire the facility including;

• Training of personnel in an all-weather facility with a range of soil types and threats. Chelton has the ability to make representation surrogate threats for any type that isn’t already available.
• Test new threats and equipment before going into theatre to develop optimal procedures to maximise efficiency and minimise risk.
• The ability to analyse and understand detect performance of different equipment in a controlled environment.
• Receive support from Chelton’s technical team to develop system improvements

Jason Abbott, President of Chelton, said “This purpose built test facility is a great addition to the range of services Chelton provides. We pride ourselves on our engineering expertise in explosive ordnance detection and the strong relationships we have with the likes of the British Army, HALO Trust, US Marine Corps, Vallon and more who have used Chelton GPR sensors for many years. We look forward to using this facility with our partners to detect and analyse new threats as well as developing next generation sensor technologies”.

About Chelton

Chelton has leading-edge expertise in developing advanced explosive ordnance detection systems using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). Compared to traditional metal-only detectors, GPR-based sensors can see metallic, minimum-metal and non-metallic threats. When incorporated into the Vallon Minehound and Wirehound handheld detectors, it can provide an enhanced dual detection capability. In addition to designing and manufacturing GPR sensors for handheld detectors, Chelton has also produced an innovative GPR QuadPack which can be mounted onto vehicles or remote tactical systems for standoff detection. In addition to detection products, Chelton also offers training systems by way of virtual reality and outdoor training aids for personnel to train and test skills and products before entering a live environment.