http://home.businesswire.com, NEW YORK: EDO Corporation has been awarded a subcontract from The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) for an Interference Cancellation (INCANS) system on the EA-18G. The initial three-year system design and development contract is valued at $14 million with a potential value of approximately $70 million over the life of the aircraft's anticipated production.
The EA-18G has been selected by the U. S. Navy to replace the EA-6B Prowler aircraft. The EA-6B Prowler provides an umbrella of protection for strike aircraft, ground troops and ships by jamming enemy radar, electronic data links and communications. EDO has been associated with the Prowler since its inception as the designer and manufacturer of its ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System.
The EA-18G combines the combat-proven F/A-18F strike fighter with the latest technology Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) avionics suite that will provide state-of-the-art reactive and pre-emptive jamming capability. EDO's INCANS system will allow clear communications during all mission scenarios.
Key enabling technology for the INCANS system is EDO's Cosite Interference Mitigation Subsystem (CIMS). CIMS is an active canceller that permits long-range voice communications in the presence of radiated interference from on-board jamming devices such as transmitters on aircraft radios. EDO is also providing CIMS enabling technology for the Coast Guard's Rescue 21 and Deepwater programs.
In addition, EDO is providing the interference-cancellation subsystem to Boeing for the Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft and is working with Boeing to maximize synergies between the two programs. There is a high degree of commonality with the Osprey and EA-18G systems, and EDO engineers anticipate further improvements in operational capability and reduced support costs for the two programs.
“EDO has been the leader in interference-mitigation and jamming technology for decades,” said James M. Smith, EDO's chief executive officer. “The electronic-attack mission of the EA-18G presents unique challenges. We must counteract the plane's own jamming systems in order to maintain essential communications. This contract clearly demonstrates our ability to engineer and supply a military-qualified INCANS system.
“Our interference-mitigation technology is essential on any aircraft where there are multiple communications systems that must operate together without interference. Thus, we see potential markets for our technology on a number of platforms, such as the JSTARS (Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System) and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft.”
EDO's system design and development contract encompasses all laboratory, ground test, and flight tests from component-level testing through full EA-18G weapons system performance flight-testing. Upon successful completion of the development contract, a separate production program is anticipated to fabricate up to 140 fully-qualified INCANS units.
EDO Corporation (www.edocorp.com) provides military and commercial products and professional services, with core competencies in a wide range of critical defense areas, including:
— Aircraft Armament
— Defense Electronics
— C4I – Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence
— Undersea Warfare
— Integrated Composite Structures
EDO was founded in 1925, and is headquartered in New York City. The company had revenues last year of $461 million, and employs 2,700 people.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release, including statements about future sales, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and the following: changes in demand for the company's products and services, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and services and pricing, and other risks discussed from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
