NORTHVALE, N.J., 28 Sept. 2005. Photonic Products Group, Inc. announced today that its MRC Optics subsidiary was awarded a contract for precision optical components from Lockheed Martin Electronics and Missiles Control Div. in Orlando, Fla. for their Lot II production of the Arrowhead Electro-Optical System.
This is the third consecutive award to MRC Optics for Arrowhead since 2002, each for increased quantities. This year's award covers double-digit deliveries per month through October 2006. The dollar value of the contract was not disclosed.
Arrowhead is the advanced electro-optical fire control system that AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots will use for safe flight in day, night, or bad weather missions. It is the U.S. Army's Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system and is leading edge in its design.
Arrowhead's advanced technology improves both system performance and system reliability by more than 150 percent while maintenance actions decrease approximately 60 percent. According to Lockheed Martin, streamlining field maintenance from three to two levels will save nearly $1 billion in operation and support costs over the 20-year life of the system. Its modular architecture accommodates a field-retrofit from original TADS/PNVS to the new Arrowhead configuration on both Apache A and D models.
The Army fielded its first unit equipped with Arrowhead in June 2005. It plans to buy 700+ systems to outfit its AH-64 fleet, with an additional 240 systems to be delivered to the United Kingdom, and additional foreign military sales. Production Lot II was awarded to Lockheed Martin in May of this year.
Dan Lehrfeld, president and CEO of Photonic Products Group commented, "Our MRC Optics team and I are pleased to have been the supplier of these precision components on Lockheed Martin's Arrowhead team since the inception of their system upgrade concept. The Apache platform has proven itself to be an indispensable tactical war-fighting system, and we believe the Arrowhead upgrade will therefore remain a high priority program in the Congress and in the DOD."
Steve Hobert, MRC Optics' vice president of sales and marketing, added, "Based on this third successive award, we anticipate Lockheed Martin will initiate discussions with MRC Optics to establish a multi-year pricing agreement that will offer continuous hardware support through 2008, or beyond."
Photonic Products Group, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products and services for use in diverse Photonics industry sectors via its expanding portfolio of branded businesses. INRAD specializes in crystal-based optical components and devices, laser accessories and instruments. Laser Optics specializes in precision custom optical components, assemblies, and optical coatings.
MRC Optics specializes in precision metal and diamond turned optics, and opto-mechanical and electro-optical assemblies. PPGI's customers include leading corporations in the defense and aerospace, laser systems, and process control and metrology sectors of the photonics industry, as well as the U.S. government. Its products are also used by researchers at national laboratories and universities worldwide. For more information, see www.inrad.com or www.ppgrpinc.com.
