Cool:
SANDISK AND TARGA EQUIP U.S. MILITARY HELICOPTERS,
JET FIGHTERS AND BOMBERS WITH FLASH MEMORY CARDS
Rugged Cards Store Critical Mission Data
Flash Replaces Other Storage Technologies In Military Applications
SUNNYVALE, CA, Oct. 16, 2001 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) and
Targa Electronics Systems, Inc., announced today that Targa storage systems
equipped with SanDisk flash memory cards are being used on a growing number
of U.S. military helicopters, jet fighter planes and bombers. More than 20
types of aircraft, including the B-2 Stealth Bomber, NATO AWACS, C-5 Galaxy,
F-15 and F-16 now fly with the storage systems and flash cards.
SanDisk has been supplying Targa, a leader in providing ruggedized
data storage solutions to the military and aerospace markets, with standard,
industrial grade Type II flash memory PC cards for many years and more
recently started shipping smaller-sized SanDisk industrial CompactFlashÔ
(CFÔ) cards to Targa. Removable SanDisk PC cards primarily are integrated
into Targa Data Transfer Units (about the size of a video cassette) that are
installed in the cockpits of the aircraft.
Joseph Fronsee, Targa's vice president of sales and marketing, said,
"SanDisk's solid-state (no moving parts) flash cards are exactly what we
need for these harsh and rugged applications where our storage systems store
mission data, boot-up programs, area maps, video imagery and other data that
is classified. We use only SanDisk industrial grade flash cards so we can
meet the temperature requirements of these systems."
He added, "These SanDisk cards are small and compact enough to fit
into our systems. And they are very advantageous because they have an
industrial standard interconnect. You can take out the cards and plug them
into virtually any ground station or laptop and analyze the data on the
card. Before flash cards were installed, we mainly used large, cumbersome
cartridges with CMOS RAM technology with battery backup. Flash cards are a
much better way to go. Because the cost of flash has come down so much, it
also has enabled new applications such as the HUMS (health and usage
monitoring systems) now used frequently on helicopters."
Those monitoring products essentially are maintenance prediction
systems that record the wear and tear taking place on the aircraft. They are
equipped with advanced software, temperature, vibration and strain sensors
and SanDisk PC flash cards with capacities up to 256 megabytes that capture
and store all the data being collected.
The CF cards are employed in a Targa data cartridge product used in
air combat training flights. The cartridges are housed in a pod under the
wing where they collect flight data that is later downloaded via the
removable cartridge and analyzed. SanDisk PC cards also fly on the B-2
bomber where they replaced optical disks. Fronsee said that "the disks were
not nearly as tolerant to heat, cold and vibration as are the flash cards."
Mitch Cohen, SanDisk's vice president for industrial products, said,
"Our industrial grade flash cards meet very rigorous standards for
ruggedness, reliability and operation in extreme temperatures. Targa is a
valuable ally for SanDisk because they have been involved in important
military and aerospace programs since 1981. We are delighted that they
selected SanDisk as the exclusive supplier of their flash cards."
David Saunders, Targa's vice president of engineering and program
management, said, "Over the years, we have selected a few flash cards from
other companies and compared them with SanDisk cards. We were able to
destroy the other cards with a little testing but the SanDisk cards
continued to work. One of our customers subjected the SanDisk cards to the
most rigorous temperature and vibration stress that its testing equipment
would generate including taking it down to -70 Celsius and up to +120
Celsius. They were unable to break the SanDisk cards, and they passed all
the tests."
He also noted that "in our business, we carefully assess the
lifetime cost of ownership. You can try to get the lowest priced flash card
to save a few dollars and end up spending thousands of dollars with product
failures and recalls. SanDisk is the best of the breed in the quality of its
products, yet it is competitively priced."
Targa, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is a world leader
in providing solid-state data storage solutions for military and aerospace
applications.
SanDisk, the world's largest supplier of flash data storage
products, designs, manufactures and markets industry-standard, solid-state
data, digital imaging and audio storage products using its patented, high
density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is based in
Sunnyvale, CA.
The matters discussed in this news release contain forward looking
statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties as described
under the caption, "Factors That May Affect Future Results" in the company's
annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies assume no obligation
to update the information in this release.
Targa's web site/home page address: www.targaelectronics.com
SanDisk's web site/home page address: sandisk.com
All trade names are either registered trademarks or trademarks of their
respective holders. |
