Defense

At Curtiss-Wright, our Defense segment plays an important role in supporting our nation’s vital naval, aerospace and ground defense systems, as well as providing support for several international defense forces. We are well positioned with a strong presence on key platforms, ranging from managing the flow of liquids on nuclear-powered submarines, to controlling the lift, flight and landing of aircraft, and stabilizing the weapons systems on armored tanks.

Over the last decade, Curtiss-Wright has proven to be an important resource for the Department of Defense (DoD) as it has shifted its investment and development strategy to fully support Net-Centric Warfare, a style of technology-enabled preparation and execution that provides a virtual real-time shared picture of an ongoing military situation. Properly executed, the Net-Centric approach enables increased combat power by integrating networked sensors, command and control systems, and modern weapons on the battlefield.

Curtiss-Wright’s strategy in the defense market is to provide the DoD the products and capabilities needed for today’s modern warfare, focusing on Command and Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) applications. Our solutions for the C4ISR market, including high-performance radars, signal intelligence, electro-optical and infrared sensor data collection, and network and secured storage, demonstrate that Curtiss-Wright has the products and capabilities needed for today’s demanding C4ISR applications across all military services.

Curtiss-Wright’s broad portfolio of capabilities is proving critical at a time when the DoD is carefully evaluating its investment opportunities in light of the Budget Control Act of 2011. Our continued investments in Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) rugged embedded computing technology have partially insulated Curtiss-Wright from some of the program reductions all defense contractors are facing. As the single largest COTS embedded computing supplier, Curtiss-Wright is uniquely positioned to benefit from the DoD’s ongoing commitment to C4ISR.

As the recognized leader in embedded defense computer modules and systems, we are continuously strengthening our product portfolio to improve lifecycle management and customization services, with pricing matched to the current Defense Department acquisition strategy. By partnering with advanced technology providers and, in turn, combining our partners’ new technologies with our COTS products and applications, we are differentiating Curtiss-Wright as a high-value solution provider.

Two examples that highlight how our technology is proving invaluable for our nation’s defense include our processor systems that sit at the core of the Radar Airborne Signal Processor for the E-8C Joint Surveillance, Targeting and Attack Rader System (JSTARS), and our fire control and communications processors that provide position pointing and stabilization for the M1A2 Abrams tank, one of our nation’s most effective battlefield weapons.

Curtiss-Wright also has significant mission critical content on every U.S. Navy submarine and aircraft carrier. We are a preferred supplier of generators, secondary propulsors, pumps and valves used in the nuclear propulsion system. We also are developing more advanced aircraft carrier systems and components that enable next generation fighter operations. Our expertise in electric motors and generators is integral to the Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) systems used for launching and recovering aircraft from a carrier deck. This technology is also critical in the development of systems to enable the safe use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at sea. Curtiss-Wright also participates in the U.S. Navy’s next-generation Ohio Class replacement submarine program.

Advanced technology from Curtiss-Wright supports the Navy’s unmanned carrier aircraft strategy through the Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D).

Selective bolt-on acquisitions have played an important role in enhancing Curtiss-Wright’s defense market profile. In the fall of 2013, we purchased Parvus, a leading designer and manufacturer of rugged small form-factor computers and communications subsystems for the aerospace, defense, homeland security, and industrial markets. Leveraging its unique expertise, we are now able to integrate technology from leading commercial companies, such as Cisco, into military applications as we continually expand our portfolio of C4ISR products and services, which in turn enhances our ability to meet our customers’ growing demand for increased miniaturization and size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C)-optimized solutions.

Growth through research and development will remain a priority at Curtiss-Wright, including investments in advanced electronic warfare (EW) technology, with the goal of becoming an industry leader in the electromagnetic spectrum on the battlefield. An example of our groundbreaking EW technology is our newly released Digital RF Memory (DRFM) product, providing the industry’s highest performance wideband DRFM solution, which we market through strategic partnerships.

Increased foreign military sales also hold significant promise at Curtiss-Wright. Half of the world’s defense commitments are outside the United States, where a number of budgets are expanding. We remain an active participant in international markets and continue to win new contracts, recently expanding our presence in South Africa, the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

In today’s defense environment, we are meeting the challenge of providing high-value solutions to the military as our nation addresses difficult budget constraints. Our products and capabilities remain in demand as we look to outpace market growth through innovation and a dedication to meeting our customers’ needs.

Our Parvus DuraCOR rugged military-grade processors are representative of Curtiss-Wright’s broad range and continued dedication to supplying high-performance, Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) tactical computing subsystems.

AP1000

One of the Company’s more exciting opportunities is in the development of cooling pumps that Curtiss-Wright provides for the Westinghouse third generation AP1000 nuclear reactor. The market response for this next-generation reactor has been strong and continues to grow. The pumps – which are among the most technically advanced in the world – are included in Curtiss-Wright’s Defense segment because these leading edge components are produced at the Company’s facility in Cheswick, Pennsylvania. This is the same Curtiss-Wright facility responsible for producing pumps for the naval defense industry.

Our outlook for AP1000 pump demand is strong as the construction of new nuclear plants continues to increase, with over 60 reactors being built worldwide, including more than 30 reactors in China and four in the United States. Additional plants are on track to gain regulatory approval. Close to 500 new commercial reactors are proposed through 2030, with over 170 in China alone, as nations invest to meet expanding industrial and consumer demands for energy.

Curtiss-Wright is well positioned to meet this expanding nuclear market opportunity because our pumps are critical components for the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear plant design, viewed as significantly safer and simpler than competing plants and representing the only new generation plant to receive U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) certification. Chinese authorities recently concluded after a lengthy study following Fukushima that the AP1000 is the world’s safest nuclear plant design.

Each new AP1000 nuclear reactor uses four of our unique pumps to circulate coolant water through the reactor vessels, ensuring the plant’s safety. With a 60-year design life and virtually maintenance free, our pumps are vital to sustaining a plant’s safety system.

Much of our opportunity for our reactor cooler pumps is in China, where we anticipate shipping several new units over the next few years. We are also negotiating other international opportunities with Westinghouse for future AP1000 plants.

 

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