Hi Ron
COM DEV WINS $7.1 MILLION CONTRACT FOR TERRESTRIAL VERSION OF SPACE PRODUCT
CAMBRIDGE, Ont., Sept. 28 /CNW/ - COM DEV International Ltd. (TSE/ME:
CDV) announced today that its Space Group has won the first production
contract for a naval application of technology originally designed for use in
communications satellites. Under the $7.1 million contract from Hollandse
Signaalapparaten B.V. of Hengelo, the Netherlands, COM DEV will manufacture
switch matrices for active phased array radar (APAR) systems, a sophisticated,
naval multi-functional radar capable of detecting and tracking 250 to 350
objects in all directions around a ship at the same time.
''The APAR is based on the principle that two eyes are better than one,''
said Alan Winter, the Space Group's president. ''Instead of a single radar
beam sweeping around the ship, an APAR has numerous beams that simultaneously
watch all directions.''
To do that the system needs an efficient way of routing signals to and
from the radar array, and that's where the Space Group's expertise comes in.
COM DEV originally developed microwave switches for use in satellites. A
typical commercial communications satellite contains 150-200 microwave
switches which are critical to the performance of a satellite, routing
communications traffic through the satellite and redirecting signals to a
backup system if the primary system fails. With more than 60 percent of the
switches in satellites today provided by COM DEV, the company is the world's
leading supplier of space switches.
The switch matrices for APAR incorporate COM DEV's space experience and
consist of 35 microwave switches linked together that enable the system to
coordinate the various radar beams in the system, which can then detect and
acquire incoming threats, such as aircraft and missiles, as well as guiding
outgoing weapons.
The Space Group's contract is to supply 27 of these matrices to Signaal
for APAR systems that will initially be installed on Dutch and German
frigates. Other navies are also expected to order APAR systems, which could
result in additional switch matrices sales. The order followed the completion
of a pre-production contract in August.
COM DEV's role in the APAR system is as a result of the participation of
the Canadian Department of National Defence in a tri-lateral collaborative
program between Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands to define and develop the
APAR system.
Department of National Defence's investment in the APAR system positioned
Canadian companies such as COM DEV to become suppliers to the contractor
Signaal in the Netherlands. These investments in technology have yielded new
production and export opportunities for COM DEV.
COM DEV International Ltd., a member of the TSE 300 (TSE/ME:CDV), is a
leading manufacturer of space and ground-based wireless communications
products and subsystems, and consists of three operating units: the Space
Group, the Wireless Group, and COM DEV Wireless Systems. The Space Group
manufactures advanced products that are sold to the major satellite prime
contractors for use in commercial communications satellites. The Wireless
Group manufactures ground-based infrastructure subsystems used in microwave
and radio frequency systems, such as GSM and CDMA-based digital telephone
systems, and wireless local loop networks. These products are sold primarily
to major PCS wireless equipment vendors. COM DEV Wireless Systems manufactures
advanced RF and digital coverage enhancement products, such as indoor
distribution systems, which are sold to wireless system operators. COM DEV is
a Canadian-based technology company and employs more than 1,200 people in
facilities in Ontario, New Brunswick, the United States, the United Kingdom
and China.
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