SAN DIEGO, Dec. 10, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:KTOS) (formerly Wireless Facilities, Inc.) a leading national defense and security solutions provider, announced today that it has been awarded a contract to oversee the development of a prototype Command and Control Personal Computer-Public Safety (C2PC-PS) system for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). The 13-month project is part of an effort focused on bridging communications and providing a common operational picture (COP) for public safety first responders. The C2PC-PS program is intended for everyday use and is scalable for use during local or regional crisis situations. This pilot project, valued at just under $1 million, began in October of 2007 and is expected to conclude by November of 2008.
"We are extremely pleased to have been awarded this important project from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department," said Robin Mickle, President of Kratos Government Solutions, Inc. "This is a strategic test of a flexible, multi-jurisdictional Command and Control system for first responders that will be modeled after the C2PC system used today by the United States Marine Corps, the Department of Homeland Security, and other DoD customers. We look forward to assisting the L.A. Sheriff's Department with their goal of integrating and testing C2PC-PS, and we believe it can serve as a useful step towards a nation-wide Command and Control system for first responders."
"Customizing the battle-tested military C2PC program builds on a successful program that will provide a robust solution that addresses the public safety need for standardized regional coordination," said Sid Heal, Commander, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "With the assistance of Kratos and our partners at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS), we were able to successfully complete a proof-of-concept illustrating the viability of this system while simultaneously confirming the expertise of both Kratos and NGMS. Our goal is to implement a robust and flexible system that will meet the needs of emergency responders and LASD management. We believe the solution presented by Kratos has tremendous potential to assist us in this endeavor."
The need for an automated Command and Control system to effectively manage and display local law enforcement tactical and emergency operations has long been recognized as a priority need of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The optimal system must be able to work with a myriad of hardware and communications platforms, and must demonstrate flexibility to communicate across multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary lines. The C2PC-PS program will operate on existing LASD equipment and use existing communications infrastructure. One key advantage of the C2PC-PS software is its flexibility to operate effectively in a variety of IT and communications environments. Building on existing systems provides LASD and future regional users with a cost effective, collaborative scheme for maximizing operational efficiency.
The software being deployed is a modified version of the base C2PC program in use by the United States Marine Corps, originally developed by Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. In the process of identifying a viable solution for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Kratos recommended a modified version of C2PC. This is also the same program used by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Coast Guard. Kratos is managing the program customization, in collaboration with Northrop Grumman, at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center in San Diego. LASD will define the law enforcement requirements for this Command and Control system. The prototype C2PC-PS project will be conducted in three phases consisting of software customization, prototype field trial, and ending with a 50-car demonstration deployment. Upon acceptance of the demonstration program, scheduled for November of 2008, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will receive a 5 year license to demonstrate the application to local emergency first responders and government stakeholders.
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Based in San Diego, California, and located throughout the United States and at key military locations, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:KTOS) provides mission critical engineering, IT services and war fighter solutions for the U.S. federal government and for state and local agencies. Principle services include C4ISR, weapon systems lifecycle support, military weapon range and technical services, network engineering services, advanced IT services, security and surveillance systems, and critical infrastructure design and integration. Kratos Government Solutions, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. News and information is available at www.KratosDefense.com.
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Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements including, without limitation, expressed or implied statements concerning the Company's expectations regarding the amount of revenues that will ultimately be derived from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) contract awards and whether any follow on work or task orders will be issued and the amount of revenues that will be derived from them if they are issued. Such statements are only predictions, and the Company's actual results may differ materially. Factors that may cause the Company's results to differ include, but are not limited to: risks that LASD will curtail, change or terminate the contract; that the new business, if or when issued, may not have the scope of work anticipated by the Company; risks that the recent divestitures and change in business focus will cause disruption of the Company's operations and distraction of its management; risks that the Company's name change will cause disruption to individual and/or institutional shareholders; risks of adverse regulatory action or litigation; risks associated with debt leverage; risks that changes or cutbacks in spending by the U.S. Department of Defense may occur, which could cause delays or cancellations of key government contracts; failure to successfully consummate acquisitions or integrate acquired operations and competition in the marketplace which could reduce revenues and profit margins. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. These and other risk factors are more fully discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2006, the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2007, and in other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.