BOE.L Regulatory News (BOE)

25 Apr 2005 07:00

Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC25 April 2005 Embargoed until 07.00 25 April 2005 Ultra Electronics Holdings plc ("Ultra" or "the Group") Ultra to supply ASW equipment for US Navy P-8A MMA programme Ultra announces that its Flightline Systems business, based in Rochester, NewYork, USA, has been awarded a contract by The Boeing Company to provide digitalsonobuoy receivers for the US Navy's P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft("MMA") programme. The initial contract is for development and qualificationonly and is worth about US$4 million. Boeing is the prime contractor for P-8A MMA and will be providing the US Navywith up to 108 of a specialised Anti-Submarine Warfare ("ASW") variant of itslatest generation 737 aircraft. These will replace the US Navy's aging fleet ofP-3 platforms. The total value of the P-8A MMA programme to Ultra is expected tobe in excess of US$30 million for production and support over the next tenyears. For the P-8A MMA program, Ultra will supply the sonobuoy receiver configuredwith the advanced Sonobuoy Positioning System ("SPS"), a feature that allows theaircraft to determine the position of the deployed sonobuoys from some distanceaway, thereby enhancing the aircraft's operational flexibility. In addition toSPS, the Ultra sonobuoy receiver will include sophisticated features thatenhance the potential of the receiver for use in other, non-acousticapplications within an advanced mission system. Ultra is the world's leading supplier of sonobuoy receivers and provides systemsfor maritime patrol aircraft, anti-submarine warfare helicopters and surfacecombatants world wide. Ultra also supplies the majority of the free world'ssonobuoys, the acoustic sensors that are used to detect the presence ofsubmarines. Douglas Caster, Chief Operating Officer of Ultra, commented:"The commitment of the US Navy to procuring over one hundred MMA aircraft foranti-submarine warfare helps underpin future demand for ASW products, not justthe mission equipment such as receivers but also the sonobuoys that will beconsumed once the MMA is in service. We are pleased to be supplying ourinnovative system solutions to Boeing for this prestigious programme" - Ends - Enquiries:Ultra Electronics Holdings plc 020 8813 4321Dr Julian Blogh, Chief Executive www.ultra-electronics.comDouglas Caster, Chief Operating Officer information@ultra-electronics.com Weber Shandwick Square Mile 020 7067 0700Susan Ellis / Susanne Walker / Stephanie Badjonat Notes to editors: Ultra Electronics is a group of specialist businesses designing, manufacturingand supporting electronic and electromechanical systems, sub-systems andproducts for defence, security and aerospace applications worldwide. Ultra, which employs 2,800 people in the UK and North America, focuses on highintegrity sensing, control, communication and display systems with an emphasison integrated information technology solutions. The Group concentrates onobtaining a technological edge in niche markets, with many of its products andtechnologies being market leaders in their field. Ultra's products and services are used on aircraft, ships, submarines, armouredvehicles, surveillance systems, airports and transport systems around the world.Ultra also plays an important role in supporting prime contractors byundertaking specialist system and sub-system integration using the combinedexpertise of the Group businesses. Ultra is organised into three divisions as follows: Aircraft & Vehicle Systems including miniature airborne compressors; highintegrity software and systems; aircraft system electronics; aircraft cockpitindicators; aircraft noise and vibration control systems; airframe protectionsystems, armoured vehicle electronic information and control systems; human/computer interface equipment and shared working environment solutions. Information & Power Systems including command and control systems equipment;weapons interfacing electronics; radar tracking; electro optical tracking;surveillance systems; naval data processing and distribution; airport andairline information management systems; ID card systems; naval power conversion;signature management of naval vessels; transit system power conversion andcontrol. Tactical & Sonar Systems including secure tactical line-of-sight radio systems,multiplexers and switches; tactical data links; cryptographic equipment; active,passive and multi-static sonobuoys; sonobuoy receivers and processors;distributed surveillance sensor arrays; ship's sonar systems; acousticcountermeasure systems and ship's torpedo defence systems. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange