ATLANTA, Sept. 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) announced today that EMS's Space & Technology/Atlanta division has been awarded the first phase of a contract from Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) for the development of Joint Common Missile (JCM) antennas. The full development contract is worth approximately $5 million to EMS with the potential for follow-on production contracts.
Lockheed Martin was recently awarded the JCM contract, over competitors Raytheon and Boeing, and selected EMS for the continued development of this critical component. The overall JCM program is worth an estimated $5.5 billion over 20 years, but this initial award to EMS is for the initial phase of a four-year System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase.
EMS has been an integral partner with Lockheed Martin on JCM from initial common missile seeker-design trades through proof-of-concept phases, providing the slot array antenna and waveguide assembly critical to the gimbaled tri mode seeker millimeter wave (MMW) radar function.
EMS's antenna is a six inch diameter, dual circular polarized, dual-channel monopulse antenna. It includes four dual-polarized slotted waveguide subarrays arranged to form an aperture and combined to form the sum, difference, azimuth, and elevation signals, each with the correct sense of circular polarization. A through-hole in the center of the antenna accommodates Lockheed Martin's other sensing modes, laser and infrared.
"The millimeter wave radar is a vital element in our tri-mode seeker," said Steve Barnoske, JCM program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL. "The radar can penetrate bad weather and battlefield obscurants, and it also allows the missile to lock on to the target independent of the platform, providing fire-and-forget capability which enables the aircrew to avoid enemy counter-fire."
The JCM initial award is for phases 1 and 2 of SDD, and is expected to be followed by Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Phases 1 and 2 and then the Full-Rate Production (FRP) phase. The ultimate production quantity has been estimated at 54,000 missiles. The program, as currently defined, could result in additional EMS contracts estimated at over $100 million continuing through 2018.
The JCM is an effort to reduce costs by creating a common missile that satisfies multiple services' needs for the U.S. military. JCM will replace the Maverick, Hellfire II, Longbow Hellfire and other missiles, and will be used in Army, Navy, and international applications. The JCM can be launched from a variety of air platforms, both fixed- and rotary-wing, as well as from ground vehicles. Lockheed Martin's JCM tri-mode seeker requires no pilot guidance to reach its target. It combines laser, infrared, and radar functions to provide all-weather, day/night fire-and-forget capability. Seeker performance was determined to be a discriminator for Lockheed Martin's team.
About EMS Technologies, Inc.
EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) is a leading innovator in the design and manufacture of wireless, satellite and defense electronics solutions, focusing its unique range of advanced technologies on the needs of broadband and mobile information users. Headquartered in Atlanta, EMS employs approximately 1,600 people worldwide.
EMS Technologies' Space & Technology/Atlanta Division develops advanced technology hardware for military and space applications. The Division provides commercial and military customers with critical subsystems and components for terrestrial, airborne and space-based communication, RADAR and electronic warfare systems. With EMS hardware, military customers benefit from the industry's most advanced surveillance, electronic counter-measure and secure communications capabilities. For more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com.
For more information, please contact: Anne Wainscott-Sargent Public Relations EMS Technologies Inc. 770-263-9200, ext. 4326 pr@ems-t.com