"This achievement was to some extent a matter of being in the right place, with the right products, at the right time," said Chris Wright, senior vice president of Business Development for the Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) business group of DRS Technologies. "The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have fueled the demand for uncooled infrared-imaging devices such as Thermal Weapon Sights and Driver's Vision Enhancers. We were able to capture key U.S. military contracts for these products -- and in the case of the DVEs -- the sole supplier for the largest U.S. Army DVE program of record. These awards have been instrumental in propelling us from fifth to first."

Wright also attributes this success to DRS leadership, who realized early on that advanced uncooled FPA technology would proliferate if it could be made both affordable and reliable. "As a result, we've made significant capital investments in our detector technologies since 2007, including the expansion of our Dallas, Texas-based wafer fabrication, assembly and production capabilities. In addition, we have accelerated the development and fabrication of next-generation detector technologies. These initiatives have resulted in an increase of our production staff to meet the soaring demand for our detector modules," stated Wright.

DRS' management of these contracts has been equally important to the company's climb to the top of the market-share rankings, said Maxtech International's Gabor F. Fulop, Ph.D. "This company has done a wonderful job of developing electro-optical technologies and scaling up the manufacturing processes to address the needs of today's military users," Dr. Fulop said.

"We are proud of the role our technologies play in supporting the warfighter, as they detect and counter threats that can't be seen by the naked eye," said Terry Murphy, president of RSTA. "These products help save lives and help achieve the military's mission objectives. These are priorities we jointly share with our customer."

DRS Technologies, headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica S.p.A. (FNC.MI) which employs more than 73,000 people worldwide. For more information about DRS Technologies, please visit the company's website at www.drs.com.

For additional information please contact:

Richard M. Goldberg
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Communications
(973) 451-3584
Email Contact

Brian T. Gallagher
Director, Public Affairs and Communications
(973) 898-7322
Email Contact

SOURCE: DRS Technologies

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Tim Reynolds, President and CEO of Soneticom, Inc. added that "Being part of DRS will give Soneticom the ability to access new markets while offering our existing government and commercial customers additional products, services and solutions necessary to ensure successful communication through all stages of their mission."

Soneticom will immediately join DRS' Defense Solutions Group, a leading provider of ISR, training, unmanned systems, sonar systems and nuclear control products. They will remain based in Melbourne, Florida, where DRS has additional facilities and a sizeable workforce.

"Adding Soneticom's products and services to our intelligence systems business is a significant benefit for our customers involved in communications intelligence (COMINT) and electronic warfare (EW)," said Richard Danforth, President of the DRS Defense Solutions Group. "I am very pleased to welcome this talented workforce to our group."

DRS Technologies, headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica S.p.A. (FNC.MI) which employs more than 73,000 people worldwide. For more information about DRS Technologies, please visit the company's website at www.drs.com.

For additional information please contact:
Richard M. Goldberg
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Communications
(973) 451-3584
Email Contact

Brian T. Gallagher
Director, Public Affairs and Communications
(973) 898-7322
Email Contact

SOURCE: DRS Technologies

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=297E927485DC5742
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"Our selection for this IDIQ contract is an acknowledgement that DRS demonstrated a high level of reliability coupled with expertise in applications," said Terry Murphy, president of DRS Technologies' Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) business group.

"In 2004, we were awarded our first DVE contract. Since then, we have delivered more than 40,000 units for deployment on a full range of combat and tactical-wheeled vehicles, including the Abrams tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Stryker, MRAP, Amphibious Assault Vehicle, HMMWV and other heavy and medium tactical-wheeled vehicles. We were also selected to deliver the first 150 FADS (Forward Activity Detection System) to provide the enhanced situational awareness of the narrow field of view Observer Sensor Module, and we completed delivery of those systems within 100 days of receipt of the order."

Under the new DVE "Family of Systems" (FOS) contract, DRS expects to deliver four versions of this important technology: the DVE Lite for line-haul truck and tactical vehicle application to promote vehicle safety and hazard avoidance in supply chain operations; the DVE CV for combat vehicles; the DVE TWV with Electronic Pan and Tilt Modules (EPTMs) for tactical wheeled vehicles; and the DVE TWV with Forward Activity Detection System (FADS), for detection or surveillance at unprecedented distances to monitor suspicious activities such as those associated with planting potentially deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Although the DRS RSTA group is the lead on DVE programs, it has been from the start a cross-corporation effort, relying on the respective expertise of several DRS units. The infrared detectors are manufactured by DRS RSTA's Dallas, Texas operation; the sensor modules, by DRS RSTA's Melbourne, Florida operations; the display control modules, by DRS Tactical Systems in Melbourne, Florida, and the EPTMs, by DRS C3 in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.

"Our DVE technology has proven its value repeatedly on the battlefield," said Murphy, "helping our warfighters navigate confidently under any conditions, avoid hazards, and detect potential threats from safe distances. As we continue to drive down the cost of this technology, we expect these lifesaving benefits to make our DVEs as common in military vehicles as headlights are in automobiles."

DRS Technologies, headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica S.p.A. (FNC.IM) which employs more than 73,000 people worldwide. For more information about DRS Technologies, please visit the company's website at www.drs.com.

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For additional information please contact:

Richard M. Goldberg
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Communications
(973) 451-3584
Email Contact

Brian T. Gallagher
Director, Public Affairs and Communications
(973) 898-7322
Email Contact

SOURCE: DRS Technologies

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=1550AD7FC2835F31
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A subsidiary of DRS Technologies has signed an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares in Soneticom.

Deal Type    Acquisition
Sub-Category 100% Acquisition
Deal Status  Completed: 2009-09-16

Deal Participants

Target (Company)   Soneticom, Inc.
Acquirer (Company) DRS Technologies, Inc.

Deal Rationale

The acquisition would allow DRS Technologies to expand its product portfolio and strengthen its intelligence systems business. The transaction would complement DRS' current line of communications solutions.