• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Sanders' Unique Antenna Technology Leads to Commercial Agreement with SKYCROSS

NASHUA, NH, September 25th, 2000 -- Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company, has signed a licensing agreement with SKYCROSS Inc., to supply advanced antenna technology for commercial wireless communications and other applications. SKYCROSS, with headquarters in Melbourne, Fla., plans to provide innovative wireless product solutions to the telecommunications, automotive and mobile computing markets by using a broad range of advanced antenna technologies developed by Sanders. Sanders is also applying its antenna technology for a number of the U.S. military's airborne, shipboard and ground platforms.

The licensing opportunity results from an ongoing Sanders initiative to identify and release value from its technology and intellectual property into applications outside Sanders' core business.

Steve Hedges, Sanders' Director of Advanced Technology, said, "The licensed technology and related intellectual property include more than 30 patents, patent applications and invention disclosures to help enable SKYCROSS and its civil customers to produce smaller wireless devices with greater functionality, higher performance, and longer battery life than products currently on the market." Among the technology now available to SKYCROSS, Hedges added, "is a family of compact, highly efficient, broadband antennas that are well-suited to the emerging third generation mobile telecommunications handsets and base stations."

"We have coupled leading antenna technology with an entity that has the infrastructure and know-how to successfully expand it into the commercial marketplace," said Wes West, Sanders vice president and general manager of the Information Dominance Systems business area. "Sanders, MILCOM Technologies, Inc., and EnVia, Inc., have worked extremely well together to establish a viable business relationship for SKYCROSS with this licensing opportunity."

Lockheed Martin and MILCOM have also partnered on three other business relationships. Mike Buffa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MILCOM Technologies, said, "The SKYCROSS team, coupled with the technical expertise of Sanders, will build a new generation of commercial antennas that will accelerate the deployment of real time mobile data transfer." MILCOM Technologies specializes in commercializing technologies that originate in the defense industry.

Sanders is an operating company of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, and a major producer of aircraft self-protection systems and tactical surveillance and intelligence systems for all branches of the armed forces. Other major business areas include microwave, mission and space electronics; infrared imaging; and automated mission planning systems.

Marianne Murphy, (603) 885-2812, e-mail: marianne.murphy@lmco.com
John Measell, (603) 885-2810, e-mail: john.h.measell@lmco.com