Curtiss-Wright pounces on airborne video surveillance market with its acquisition of Skyquest Ltd.

Posted by John Keller

LEESBURG, Va., 21 Dec. 2009. Executives of the Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing segment in Leesburg, Va., are strengthening their company's expertise in airborne video surveillance applications with their acquisition of Skyquest Ltd. in Laindon, England, which specializes in video display, video recording, and video distribution technology for airborne 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 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 acquired Skyquest 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.

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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