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Harris Corporation Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire the Air Traffic Control Business Unit of SolaCom Technologies, Inc.
WASHINGTON, DC/ OTTAWA, CANADA - June 4, 2009 — Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Air Traffic Control (ATC) business unit of SolaCom Technologies, Inc., a privately held company headquartered in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, and Harris expects to complete the acquisition of SolaCom's ATC business by the end of June. The SolaCom ATC acquisition will provide Harris the ability to address all segments of the air traffic control voice/data systems market and further positions the company to support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). SolaCom's ATC business has approximately 50 employees who provide voice and data communication systems and solutions for air traffic facilities and radio communications between airplanes in flight and air traffic controllers. SolaCom's next-generation radio control equipment solutions provide extremely reliable voice switching and conferencing capabilities. The business has more than 200 customers on six continents, including NASA, USAF, NAV CANADA, NORAD, (North American Aerospace Defense Command), and the UK Ministry of Defense. SolaCom's ATC products include the Liberty-STAR high-performance ATC switch, which is in use across the globe in some of the harshest environments on the planet, and the IRENA (Integrated Radio Equipment and Network Adaptor) product line, which provides aviation authorities with the next generation of integrated RCE (Radio Control Equipment), as well as network routing and circuit adaption solutions. "This acquisition will provide our collective domestic and international customers with highly reliable air traffic control products and services that will lead to a more reliable global network of air traffic control systems," said John O'Sullivan, Vice President of Mission Critical Networks for Harris Corporation. "We have partnered with Solacom's ATC business for more than a decade and could not be more pleased to welcome their employees to the Harris family, and we envision a strong cultural fit of two engineering organizations with complementary products and engineering capabilities." The business will become part of the Harris Mission Critical Networks business, providing customized critical components for communications and weather solutions. "We've had a close relationship with Harris Corporation for more than a decade and we see the new combined entity having a leadership position in the International Air Traffic Control market area," said Franz Plangger, SolaCom CEO. "Combining our mission-critical voice switching communications products with the Harris reputation as a world-class ATC systems provider creates an organization well poised to support next generation transformation goals of our global customer base." Harris is the prime contractor for the $3.5 billion, 15-year FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) program, which was awarded to Harris in 2002. The company is upgrading and improving telecommunications and operations functions at more than 4,000 FAA facilities nationwide with a secure, efficient network, and cost-effective telecommunication and managed network services. Harris also provides the FAA's Voice Switching Control System, which allows air traffic controllers to establish air-to-ground and ground-to-ground communications with pilots as well as other air traffic controllers. About SolaCom Technologies, Inc. About Harris Corporation # # # Contact Information: Marc Raimondi
Jim Burke
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