Smith Myers

Smith Myers Communications Ltd is an employee-owned engineering company in Biggleswade, UK, that makes mobile phone detection and location systems for search and rescue.

The company was formed in 1987 by two freelance design engineers. In its first year it launched the first of a range of test and measurement tools for the new cellular radio market. The equipment hid the complexity of cellular radio behind a simple screen. Easy use and strong customer support became the mark of the firm.

Today its main product is ARTEMIS, a mobile phone detection and location system. It helps crews find people by locating their phones. Smith Myers says it has been in this market since 1987. It also says it was the first provider of a fully airborne-qualified system of this kind. One European search and rescue agency commander is quoted as saying the agency now uses ARTEMIS on around 80 percent of its missions.

ARTEMIS Air is a range of airborne qualified systems for crewed and uncrewed aircraft. ARTEMIS-FLEX is a flexible system that adapts to many platforms on land and at sea. The company also offers simulation and training. In July 2026 it announced ARTEMIS AI, which adds secure embedded intelligence. It also said it plans to offer modular payload compliance for compatible UAV and ground systems.

ARTEMIS is integrated with a long list of aircraft and mission systems. On crewed aircraft it has flown on a Nova Systems EC-135 and an Airborne Technologies P68R. It works with CarteNav AIMS, Safran EUROFLIR 410, SHOTOVER, L3Harris WESCAM MX10, FlySight OPENSIGHT and the Hensoldt EuroNav 7 system. It also works with the Android and iOS versions of the Team Awareness Kit. On uncrewed aircraft it is integrated with the Teledyne FLIR SkyRanger R70 and R80D, the Threod EOS C VTOL, the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter and the Beyond Vision BVQ418.

The company lists several awards. These include a Royal Aeronautical Society silver medal, the 2024 King's Award for Innovation and an ADS innovation award. In August 2026 it won a Silver Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. It also holds a Cyber Essentials certificate from the IASME Consortium.

Services

• Mobile phone detection and location
• ARTEMIS Air systems
• ARTEMIS-FLEX land and sea systems
• ARTEMIS AI
• Simulation and training
• Aircraft and sensor integration