Sanders receives $41.4 million contract for U.S. Air Force B-1B electronic warfare upgrade.

NASHUA, N.H--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 2, 1997--Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company, has announced a $41.4 million contract from Boeing to provide the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) radio frequency (RF) subsystem for the U.S. Air Force B-1B Defensive System Upgrade Program (DSUP). The IDECM RF countermeasures system is being developed by Sanders and its teammate, ITT Avionics of Clifton, N.J.

The system upgrade will provide increased survivability for B-1B aircraft against advanced missile threats as well as significantly lower operational and support costs. Sanders will serve as a major subcontractor to Boeing which is prime contractor and systems integrator to the U.S. Air Force. The Electronic Warfare (EW) Subsystem Integrator Team (SSIT), includes Sanders, ITT Avionics and Lockheed Martin Fairchild Defense Systems (LMFDS), Yonkers, N.Y.

Under the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract, Sanders will integrate the IDECM RF countermeasures suite with the ALR-56M radar warning receiver manufactured by LMFDS. This upgraded electronics suite will support the B-1B's new conventional munitions delivery capabilities. Delivery of 10 EMD systems is scheduled to begin in March of 1999. Sanders will also support formal flight testing, which concludes in 2002. Production is expected to begin in 2003.

Sanders and ITT Avionics were selected in November of 1995 by the Department of Defense for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the joint Navy-Air Force IDECM program. IDECM is an integrated electronic warfare suite that will provide an onboard technique generator connected to a towed decoy that will transmit jamming signals to divert RF missiles.

Howard Arndt, acting general manager for Sanders Countermeasures Division said, "This is a very critical program for Sanders and the U.S. Air Force. We are committed to satisfying the user's needs while realizing the major life cycle cost savings associated with using common IDECM commodity hardware."

According to Ron Delude, Sanders B-1B DSUP program manager, "We are pleased to be part of the DSUP team which will provide the B-1B with full RF self-protection against all modern threats well into the next century. This will permit the aircraft to continue its role as a key aircraft in the Air Force inventory. Additionally, this program is the first commodity application of the IDECM RFCM system and the first acquisition of that system by the U.S. Air Force."

Sanders is an operating company of the Lockheed Martin Electronics Sector, a leader in the design, development and manufacture of electronic systems for global defense, civil and commercial markets. Sanders is a major producer of electronic combat and self-protection systems, and is the industry leader in the development of automated mission planning systems. Other major business areas include tactical communications; surveillance and intelligence systems; avionics and space electronics; microwave electronics subsystems; and commercial telecommunications systems.

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Note to editors: This story supplements an announcement by the Department of Defense on June 23, 1997.

CONTACT: Sanders

Marv Braman, 603/885-2817

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John Measell, 603/885-2810