Curtiss-Wright acquires Skyquest Ltd. to boost expertise in airborne surveillance

Posted by John Keller

LEESBURG, Va., 21 Dec. 2009. Executives at Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing in Leesburg, Va., are bolstering their company's offerings in airborne surveillance applications with their acquisition of Skyquest Ltd. in Laindon, England, which specializes in video display, recording, and distribution for surveillance aircraft.

"The addition of Skyquest's airborne video solutions to our product family will expand our systems offering for customers looking for a total solutions provider for their mission critical applications," says David Adams, co-chief operating officer of Curtiss-Wright Corp.

Skyquest offers stand-alone rugged mission displays, digital video recorders and video distribution systems for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters operated by police, customs, coast guard, border patrol, military, search & rescue, air ambulance and government agencies. Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing, meanwhile, specializes in single-board computers, rugged data storage, and other embedded systems.

Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Skyquest Systems Ltd. for 10 million pounds, or approximately $16 million, and will fold the business into Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing. "The Skyquest product family complements our embedded computing product offering," Adams says.

, co-chief operating officer of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. "The addition of Skyquest's airborne video solutions to our product family will expand our systems offering for customers looking for a total solutions provider for their mission critical applications. Furthermore, Curtiss-Wright Controls will be able to grow the Skyquest brand by providing it access to many new markets."

Skyquest Systems Ltd was formed from two businesses, Skyquest Ltd and Real-Time Vision Ltd. Founded in 1996 and 1998 respectively, the two businesses have been operating under the trademark Skyquest Aviation. They have developed the

Skyquest's Video Management System (VMS) is part of demanding applications like synthetic aperture radar and border patrol operations, and is flown by London's Metropolitan Police Air Support Unit. Australian airborne surveillance units deploy the VMS on airplanes and helicopters.

For more information contact Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing online at www.cwcembedded.com or Skyquest Ltd. at www.skyquest.com.

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