Feb 2 2010
SINGAPORE AIRSHOW -- Goodrich Corporation's (NYSE: GR) ISR Systems business has experienced a number of successes since it was launched at the 2008 Singapore Airshow.
Some highlights include:
- Completing two strategic acquisitions - Cloud Cap Technology, provider of low-cost microgimbals and autopilots for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market, in 2009; and assets of Recon/Optical, Inc., provider of medium altitude reconnaissance cameras and day/night wide area persistent imaging cameras, in 2008.
- Designing, developing and now building the first satellite in the U.S. Defense Department's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program.
- Providing the shortwave infrared (SWIR) cameras that helped NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission determine the existence of water on the Moon;
- Seeing the unprecedented success of its DB-110 reconnaissance system in theater and adding more nations to the family of DB-110 users on F-16 aircraft;
- Delivering the 500th advanced laser warning system to the U.S. Army for its AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, ahead of schedule.
Tom Bergeron, president, ISR Systems at Goodrich, said, "In the two years since we launched ISR Systems, we have developed a powerful integrated team that leverages its capabilities to better serve our customers. With the strategic acquisitions of Cloud Cap Technology and Recon/Optical, Inc., together with the work on the ORS Sat-1 program, we now cover a much broader spectrum of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. This goes from Space to high, medium and low aerial altitudes, and also ground-based systems. This spectrum of coverage means that our customers have the ability to track, identify, and address multiple challenges of supplying information to the warfighter.
"One of the most satisfying events for everyone on our team has been seeing the success of our DB-110 reconnaissance system operating in Afghanistan on the UK RAF's Tornado aircraft," Bergeron said. "The RAF has reported that since the system's arrival in June 2009, it has proven to be invaluable at helping allied forces find improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. It is well known that the Taliban use IEDs without regard for the innocent children killed or maimed by these devices, so we truly feel a sense of pride when our products can help eliminate this dangerous weapon of terror.
"A competitive discriminator for Goodrich ISR Systems is our innovative ground station that brings a huge amount of intelligence data together for the warfighter into a format that he can use very quickly and easily," Bergeron said. "This system provides a single version of reality by combining images and data from not only all the Goodrich ISR products but from those of other manufacturers as well. We merge this data in our Intelligence Reference Library to present a full and accurate picture to analysts as well as commanders for both strategic and tactical missions. Our ground station eliminates the 'soda straw' effect where the warfighter feels he is looking at only small bits of data from a number of unrelated systems. Because the ground station provides a three-dimensional image, the user has the ability to see things like wall heights, valley depths, and other critical information that has not been available up until now."