Aerosystems International Buys Symetrics' Next Generation IDM-501 for United Kingdom's AHMk1

Symetrics Industries, LLC, announced today that it has been awarded a delivery order contract from Aerosystems International Ltd, with a value of over $1.7 million, to manufacture and deliver their Next Generation Improved Data Modem (the IDM-501) for integration into the AHMk1 Mission Planning Station (MPS) that supports the United Kingdom’s Apache Helicopter fleet.

The IDM-501 is the latest development from Symetrics Industries LLC, and it represents significant reductions in size, weight, power and price over other versions of the IDM, which makes it the ideal solution for helicopter, UAV and ruggedized military planning station applications.

Symetrics has delivered more than 3,000 IDMs to the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy, and international customers since the initial production contract was awarded to Symetrics in 1993. This purchase order represents the second procurement of the IDM-501 from an international customer.

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Portuguese Air Force Buys Symetrics Industries’ IDM-302 for F-16

Symetrics Industries, LLC, announced today that it has been awarded a delivery order via the U.S. Government's Foreign Military Sales Program with a value of over $1.2 million, to manufacture and deliver the MD-1295/A: Improved Data Modem (IDM)-302 for integration onboard the Portuguese Air Force’s (PoAF) fleet of F-16 Fighter aircraft.

The IDM-302 is a flight-proven, “off-the-shelf” system that facilitates the interconnection of up to four separate "voice-only" radios to create a multi-path, digital communications architecture over existing, onboard Combat Net Radios (VHF/UHF/HF). Similar in principle to how a modem allows Personal Computers (PC) to share digital information via the Internet with other computers, the Improved Data Modem allows the mission computers onboard military aircraft to share digital data (aircraft position, targets, weapon status, fuel condition) with other military aircraft over the voice radios. This “machine-to-machine” communication improves the accuracy and reliability of the data, while significantly reducing transmission times.

According to Mr. Ronald Frye, Vice President of Business Development for Symetrics, “This order from the Portuguese Air Force to support their premiere fighter aircraft, the F-16, demonstrates that the IDM-302 remains a highly reliable and valued addition to the warfighting capabilities of this nation, in terms of deterrence and interoperability in coalition operations.”

Symetrics has delivered more than 3,000 IDMs to the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and international customers since the initial production contract was awarded to Symetrics in 1993. The Air Force has recognized Symetrics’ IDM program performance for four consecutive years with a Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs) “Blue” rating.

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Symetrics Industries LLC Nominated as One of the “Ten Best Companies for Employee Financial Security” by the Principal

Symetrics Industries, LLC, announced today that it has been nominated by the Principal Financial Group for being one of the “Ten Best Companies for Employee Financial Security”. This distinctive nomination is a program sponsored by the Principal Financial Group to recognize growing companies across the United States that excel, particularly through employee benefits, in contributing to their employees’ financial futures and sense of financial security.

According to Mr. Mitch Garner, President and CEO, “As a long-term, Small Business in Brevard County, Symetrics is honored and appreciates this significant recognition, from an organization of the reputation and prestige of the Principal Financial Group; particularly since as a company we have always sought to benefit our customers, employees and the local community by our actions. To be successful, the company seeks the best employees, and wants to provide the best benefits in order to retain and reward those same employees.”

“There are many ways to provide for employee financial security, and every company must tailor its benefits and other programs to the needs of its people,” said Mr. Campbell McKegg, CFO and Senior Vice President for Symetrics. “This program by the Principal honors the way that companies, like Symetrics, manage, select and commit financial benefits.”

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Governor Bush visits Symetrics, recognizes growth and Homeland Security

Florida Governor Jeb Bush told Symetrics Industries employees today that the company was a “perfect example” of the type of business contributing to Florida’s growing economy - a company with a diverse workforce, high-skill jobs, high-tech projects, and contracts both in the US as well as internationally.

Governor Bush complemented Symetrics on having expanded its workforce by 123 per cent within recent years. He specifically recognized one of Symetrics’ current significant projects where it is applying its expertise with defense technology to support the US Department on Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to increase the security of commercial airliners.

Symetrics is serving as one of the key team members on a multi-million dollar system development and demonstration (SDD) project for the US DHS Counter-MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems) Special Projects Office. The project is exploring the feasibility of installing self-protection systems on U.S. commercial airliners, to guard against terrorist attacks by shoulder-fired missiles.

Symetrics is the official manufacturer and supplier to the US military of the AN/ALE-47V Countermeasures Dispenser System (CMDS), the world’s premiere aircraft self-protection system to protect against anti-aircraft missiles, and the system is currently used by the US military and 23 other nations’ militaries.

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US Department of Homeland Security selects Symetrics as part of a team to develop system to protect airliners from terrorist missile attacks

Symetrics Industries announced today that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) selected Symetrics as part of a team of aviation and technology experts, led by United Airlines, to conduct research into the feasibility of installing self-protection systems on US commercial airliners to protect them from terrorist missile attacks.

“Symetrics has a tremendous opportunity to use our technical design and engineering skills, along with our manufacturing and production capabilities, to really add value on the United team, as we collectively work to help the US Government make critical decisions about ensuring the safety of commercial airliners,” said Symetrics President, Mitch Garner.

Florida Governor Jeb Bush is very enthusiastic about Symetrics’ involvement in the project. “We have made it a priority in Florida to create a business climate where companies like Symetrics can compete and be successful,” said Governor Bush. “We continue to diversify Florida's economy, in part through building our prowess in high technologies, many of which are integrally linked to the defense industry. I am proud that Symetrics, a Florida company, has been chosen to play an integral part in Homeland Security.”

Symetrics will serve as one of the key members of the United Airlines team, which was awarded a $2 million system development and demonstration (SDD) contract by the US DHS Counter-MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems) Special Projects Office. The award represents Phase I of a two-year, $100 million DHS research and development program to design and demonstrate countermeasures (CM) against the potential MANPADS missile threat to U.S. commercial airliners. “MANPADS” is the general term used for a variety of shoulder-fired anti-air defense missiles that can be easily transported and launched by a single person, and have recently been used with increasing frequency by terrorists.

Symetrics is the official manufacturer and supplier to the US military of the AN/ALE-47V Countermeasures Dispenser System (CMDS), which will be integrated onto commercial-type test aircraft during the two-year DHS system development and demonstration contract. The AN/ALE-47V is the world’s premiere aircraft self-protection system to protect against anti-aircraft missiles, and the system is currently used by the US military and 23 other nations’ militaries. The CMDS is a fully automated computer-controlled system that dispenses expendable decoys capable of defeating simultaneous launches from shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles.

For the two-year DHS project, Symetrics’ AN/ALE-47V CMDS will be a major part of the complete Commercial Airliner Protection System (CAPS), which the United Airlines team will develop and then demonstrate on test commercial-type aircraft. Principal team members AVISYS, Dallas, TX, and ARINC, Annapolis, MD, will direct the overall project. Other expert team members include: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division; Alliant Techsystems; Thales; L-3 Communications Integrated Systems; Alloy Surfaces Company; Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation; Armtec Defense Products; ATK Thiokol; and SaabTech.

CAPS provides an affordable and highly effective countermeasures capability for both wide- and narrow-body aircraft. The CAPS approach is a derivative of the AVISYS WIPPS (Wide-body Integrated Platform Protection System), which was designed for international VIP and Head of State aircraft. The major subsystems and decoys integral to the WIPPS and CAPS architecture have a worldwide support structure and are widely used by the US military and allied nations for aircraft protection.

The CAPS team is the only group to include a major commercial airline as an active participant in the DHS project. During Phase I, the team will perform research studies to define a system design and implementation concept. The team will then produce a preliminary design compatible with airline operations to be finalized and demonstrated in Phase II of the program, which is expected to begin in the 3rd Quarter 2004.

The CAPS team’s proposed solution was selected from 24 other proposals in early competition in 2003 and then competed against four other teams during oral presentations to DHS in December 2003. The CAPS preliminary design phase will emphasize affordability and suitability of the proposed system for commercial aviation applications. Phase I will last six months ending with a comprehensive Preliminary Design Review (PDR). Successful completion of Phase I will form the basis for a Phase II selection and contract award estimated at $45 million each for two of the Phase I competitors.

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