Kaman Aerospace Teams With University of Arizona For $35 Million Collimator Development Contract
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kaman Aerospace Corporation's Electro-Optics Development Center (EODC) and the University of Arizona Steward Observatory Mirror Lab have been awarded a $35 million contract to build a 6.5-meter aperture collimator. The collimator, scheduled for operation in 2006, will provide a means of testing large optical systems in a vacuum environment.
Kaman's portion of the contract is valued at approximately $12.8 million, with the majority of the work occurring in 2003. Work will be performed at Kaman's Electro-Optics Development Center in Tucson, Arizona.
"We're very pleased to be teamed with the University of Arizona," said Dr. Bobby Ulich, vice president and general manager of Kaman's Electro-Optics Development Center. "The combination of the University's large optics fabrication expertise and Kaman's industrial and electro-optical capabilities is unique."
A teaming agreement calls for Steward Observatory to utilize technologies it has developed for casting and polishing large astronomical optics. Steward Observatory and Kaman will jointly design the active and adaptive optical systems for maintaining an extremely accurate projected optical wavefront. Kaman will design and fabricate the structural, electrical, mechanical and software control systems for the collimator. The Steward-Kaman team will then jointly assemble, test and deliver the system in 2006.
Kaman Aerospace Corp. is a subsidiary of Kaman Corp. (NASDAQ:KAMNA)
with headquarters in Bloomfield, Conn. In addition to electro-optics, Kaman Aerospace is the manufacturer of the SH-2G Super Seasprite naval helicopter and the K-MAX medium- to heavy-lift helicopter, and is a subcontractor for aircraft structures and components for commercial and military aircraft, including applications on all current Boeing commercial airliners and the C-17 transport, as well as various models of the MD Helicopters family.
The company also is a leading manufacturer of safe, arm and fuzing devices for missiles and bombs, rugged environment mass memory systems and compact electromagnetic motors and generators.
Kaman Corporation conducts business in the aerospace, industrial distribution and music distribution markets.
Source: Kaman Aerospace Corporation
CONTACT: Dr. Bobby Ulich of Kaman Aerospace Corporation,
+1-520-889-7000, or ulich-eodc@kaman.com
Web site: http://www.kaman.com/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/480450.html
