BAEMMA
 

ISTR that there was a computer system designated BAEMMA which helped to manage the Tornado engines (RB199). Can anyone remember it? What did it do? How good was it?

What happened to it?

N.B. I have just edited my OP to refer to BAEMMA and delete BRAMIS, which I originally referenced. My mistake - anno domini etc etc

Rgds SOS

BRAMIS
 

The BRAMIS system was introduced into RAFG in the early 90's ISTR as a toting system. From the dim and distant areas of memory I can recall attending a BRAMIS managers' course in the Wildenrath COC. By the time I returned to Bruggen in 97 BRAMIS had evolved into SOMA (Station Operational Management Aid) whereby flying programs, weather could be displayed. There was also a method of accessing ASMA through SOMA. I remember attending a two week SOMA Managers' course in some dark corner of High Wycombe where my brain melted with hard sums and such crackers as 1$!P (one dollar bang Pee)
I am assuming it was superseded by STARS, Intranet etc.

SOMA came in to hardened stations in UK around 1987 and was supposed to be replaced several times before it was eventually. RAF CCIS came in eventually around 1999-2000 (not to be confused with the 11 Gp System that was mega user unfriendly.

ASMA was linked in to SOMA by 1996 when I came back to the system.

The 'new' RAF CCIS was late coming in which meant that the SOMA Contract with Norsk Data and the inimical Frank Cook 1$!P had to be extended by some months.

I think BRAMIS was just another disconnected IT procurement where each command went its own inter-inoperable way.

Coningsby got SOMA SEMA and SAMA in 1985 as part of the hardening, whereby both 29 and 228 OCU worked from the HASs, and by Taceval that summer the whole station was working out of HASs, and HPSs during exercises, on 4 shifts hot bunking.. The CoC seemed like Star Wars at the time. I seem to remember that the RB199 logs system was called BRANDT (sp). I remember the name BRAMIS, but I though it was an ops syastem.

I remember a TACEVAL, Coningsby, early '90s, where the SOMA was gradually degraded by some DiStaff SOMA wizz to reduce our ability to operate. It had no effect, even when he removed it entirely and 'Black'ed the HAS site. What he never discovered was that I'd been echoing the SOMA messages to Ops and the Hazes on SEMA (using a pre-arranged code).:E


.

Fox 3, you sneeky bastard. Happy days!

Tis only a crime if you get caught?

Gas Mask on the telephone anybody?

Yep, got you there, 2Planks. Well remembered.

As Distaff on a Taceval at Laarbruch I caught OC Ops, on his knees under the desk making a telephone call. At the time the COC had been destroyed and its personnel rendered hors de combat.

Allegedly it was a call from his wife protesting at the naked men outside the squash courts.

It was a squad of Bundeswehr that had been ambushed as they tried to enter the base. They were then stripped to long johns and vests (not naked) and held outside the squash courts. The temp was near freezing.

Yup, OC 5 was so chuffed I got a free holiday in Cyprus (contraceptives supplied)*
In the days before Intelligence Officers, fighter squadrons used intelligent officers


*Private Plane

BRAMIS = Battle Readiness And Management Information System

Oh what fun I had cycling between the Laarbruch WOC and AWOC with a monstrous data disk tucked under my arm, trying to keep what was then the first system 'alive'; it frequently crashed! The computer room was full of power and switching cabinets and the disk readers, yet probably had less computing power than one of today's laptops. What a job for a holdee!

BAEMMA - Brandt Aero Engine Module Management Aid

I have no experience of using it personally or of its use in the RAF. However we have supplied it to the RSAF and its used for tracking RB199, Adour and PT6 engine module lives. As far as I know it works well and we have carried out several upgrades over the years. Its basically a big clever configuration controlled database accessed from a number of locations.

Walbut

Ah thanks, Walbut, I remembered there was a Brandt somewhere in there. In the mid 80s, my FS in the 199 Bay at Woodhall Spa was a dab hand at it, but it looked far to complicated for me. I suspect that version ( and the hardware) would look stone age now. At the same time - 1985 - OC Eng's PA had a word processor - a dedicated machine that could do magic things! I had a 48K Spectrum. Woo hoo!

10 years before that, on another station, OC Eng's PA also had a dedicated machine that could do magic things - so I believe.

Rgds SOS

Oh what fun I had with SEMA/SAMA/BRAMIS and DSSS when I was a mechanical designer for RAFSEE. The look of mistrust from the dwelers of the various HQ/COC/WOC/Sqns we descended on armed, only with tape measure pencil and note pad was universal. However, I quickly developed the disarming gambit of asking those who were affronted at my civvy presence in their holy of holies "What colour carpet would you like?" It was amazing how that got their compliance.
However the funniest situation was whilst measuring up for BRAMIS to go in the NATO HQ in the caves at Masstricht. I had copious notes of the proposed cable run in the corridors and was about to enter a room when our 'minder' suddenly remembered this room needed a higher security clearance. "Oh sorry you can't come in here unless you are CTS cleared." My electrical engineer colleague pipes up with "That's OK I'm CTS2." So he was allowed in whilst I hung around outside trying not to look too suspicious. When my colleague came out all he could say was "I shouldn't have gone in there."
Of course until then neither he nor I knew that CTS stood for Cosmic Top Secret, He'd thought his section's title at RAFSEE, Computer Terminal Systems was the only use of the acronym CTS.

That's a shame, I thought this was going to turn into a "funny Taceval/Station Exercise stories" thread - who remembers Binbrook exercises in the early 80s?

The Ops Room at Akrotiri in the mid 1960s ran on chinagraph pencils, rectangular pieces of perspex, a very large board and some extremely clever WRAF ops clerks.

When the trial CIS was being installed at Coningsby not only did the contractors need clearance in to the WOC they also needed clearance into the new computer room we were creating. The list of cleared contractors was displayed on the door. No name, no entry.

Now one contractor had special clearance. This too was published on the door of the room DO NOT ADMIT.

Never found out why :)

Were you there when Alistair was setting Coningsby up for war PN?

WP,

First time (well 3rd actually) was '85-'87 when ME was OC, next was '96-'00 with the Kiwi Kid.

Mike E had achieved a 1st in his promotion exam and passed the station on to C4 as a star unit. C4 soon found the truth. Later C4 became MEs boss at Support Command. I think that greased the pole well.