Receives First Major
Commercial Maritime Order For LRADs
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2004--American Technology
Corporation (ATC) (NASDAQ:ATCO) announced today it has been awarded
two new orders totaling $723,000 for its proprietary Long Range
Acoustic Devices (LRAD(TM)). ATC has been awarded a $128,000 contract
by the U.S. Army 44th Engineering Battalion deployed in and around
central Iraq.
Additionally, ATC has been awarded a $595,000 contract by a major
commercial maritime company. This contract represents ATC's largest
commercial LRAD order to date.
LRAD is a breakthrough long-range hailing and warning, directed
acoustic device designed to communicate with authority and
exceptionally high intelligibility in a 15-30(degree) beam. LRAD can
issue a verbal challenge with instructions in excess of 500 meters and
has the capability of following up with a warning tone to influence
behavior or determine intent. The "hailing and warning" application
for commercial shipping is similar to the successful LRAD deployments
by the U.S. Navy on patrol craft in and around the port of Basra, Iraq
to communicate with vessels in shipping lanes and around oil
terminals.
"LRAD was originally conceived to support the protection and
exclusion zones around U.S. Navy warships. The challenge of
interdicting small boats approaching commercial maritime assets is
quite similar," remarked Carl Gruenler, ATC's vice president of
government and force protection systems. "LRAD's warning tones command
attention at ranges in excess of 500 meters while its directional and
highly intelligible voice instructions can unquestionably be heard.
LRAD's ability to positively communicate with authority on land or at
sea is proving highly effective in creating safe situations out of
uncertain ones."
ATC has also delivered two remotely operated pan/tilt LRADs
equipped with sighting cameras to the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey (The delivery order was announced in the company's August
26, 2004 business update). The units are being installed to
communicate at long distance with unauthorized personnel approaching
either entrance of the critical Hackensack rail bridge and to
influence behavior if verbal warnings go unheeded. The units are being
linked to the Port's infrastructure and can be monitored and
controlled remotely.
Added Gruenler, "To our knowledge, this installation will
represent the first remotely operated, instant escalating non-lethal
hailing and warning capability for critical infrastructure protection
in the U.S."
Gruenler concluded, "Our proprietary long range hailing and
warning device is expanding its worldwide leadership position by
enabling superior communications and commercial asset protection as
well as providing The Sound of Force Protection(TM) for military and
government customers." |
