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Press release from 1999 regarding Joint Strike Fighter order:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 22 JUNE 1999
MERCURY COMPUTER SYSTEMS RECEIVES DEVELOPMENT ORDER FOR JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT
Mercury's Multicomputers Used in Concept Demonstration Phase
CHELMSFORD, MA - Mercury Computer Systems (NASDAQ: MRCY) today announced it has received orders from Lockheed Martin to provide signal processing systems for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Concept Demonstration Phase. These orders, worth over $500K, are for multiple RACE® systems being used in the development of the Integrated Core Processing system. The Integrated Core Processor (ICP), the central computer system for the JSF, is implemented in an open system architecture designed to maximize the use of commercially available products and standards.
The JSF program is currently in the Concept Demonstration phase, which is scheduled to be completed around June 2000. The Department of Defense will then award a contract for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program which is scheduled to begin in early 2001, with the first JSF aircraft expected to enter service in about 2008. Current government projections are for about 3,000 JSF aircraft with an additional 2,000 export sales over the life of the program.
"Joint programs such as JSF, with the goal of reducing costs and providing the military with the most advanced technology available, are a growing trend in the U.S. and among our allies," said Jay Bertelli, president and CEO, Mercury Computer Systems. "Mercury provides scalable systems with a clear upgrade path into the future, allowing the military to continue developing advanced programs with the assurance that as systems move toward deployment they will still be on the leading edge of commercial technology."
The mission of the Joint Strike Fighter program is to develop and field an affordable, common family of next-generation strike fighter which meets the needs of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, the British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, and other allies. The JSF is a highly maneuverable, multi-role aircraft, optimized for the air-to-ground combat role, that will provide the 24-hour, adverse weather, precision engagement capability the joint force commander requires. When completed, the aircraft will replace several aircraft including the Air Force's F-16 aircraft and the Navy's and Marine Corp's F/A-18C, and AV-8B Harrier aircraft and complement existing aircraft for the armed forces of U.S. allies.
The ICP supports all of the embedded computing elements for multiple aircraft subsystems including the digital signal processing for the sensors and cockpit displays. Mercury's RACE systems will provide real-time signal processing for applications designated for the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft. The ICP is being developed to leverage the modularity and scalability of commercial technology in order to provide commonality, interoperability, and affordable long-term life-cycle support, including the capability for future insertion of emerging technology.
The information provided concerning the schedule and projections for quantities of JSF aircraft is in the context of a forward-looking statement. These facts are outside the control of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. and may differ materially from those stated. There are many factors that could effect the schedule, such as program delays, or quantitives such as budgeting issues and priority shifts. The company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information that serves only as of the date made.
Mercury Computer Systems, Inc., (NASDAQ: MRCY) is the leading independent producer of high-performance digital signal and image processing computer systems that transform sensor data to information for analysis and interpretation on a real-time basis. Mercury's products, which include PowerPC-based systems using PeakWare(tm) for RACE, a fully graphical software tool for rapidly designing and deploying applications, play a critical role in a wide range of defense and medical imaging applications. In air-, sea-, and land-based military platforms, these systems process real-time radar, sonar, and signal intelligence data. Mercury's systems are also used in state-of-the-art medical diagnostic devices, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and the rapidly growing field of digital X-ray. |
