Boeing Co. has landed a four-year, $32.5 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for logistics support related to a specialized communications system made at its sprawling Huntington Beach operation.
The Chicago-based defense contractor will provide training, support, engineering and maintenance for the emergency call system used by U.S. military forces in search-and-rescue missions.
The system, part of Boeing’s Combat Survivor Evader Locator program, relies on satellite relays, hand-held radios, and four global base stations to find downed pilots and armed forces in battle.
Research and development for the program is based in Huntington Beach.
Boeing has delivered more than 54,600 radios to joint forces since the program’s inception in 1998 and has a back order to provide an additional 2,550 units.
The company has received more than $232 million in government contracts to produce the radios and related equipment, as well as to upgrade base stations and high-frequency tuners.
It’s relied on several local suppliers to handle the workload, including Cal Quality Electronics Inc. The Santa Ana-based manufacturer recently signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Boeing to supply key electrical components for the specialized radios. The three-year deal calls for Cal Quality to supply printed circuit boards and advanced assembly for a next-generation survival radio system.
Boeing is the fourth largest employer in Orange County, with about 6,800 local workers.
Emulex Investor Lowers Stake
A New York hedge fund that prompted several management and board changes at Emulex Corp. has lowered its stake in the Costa Mesa-based networking equipment maker.
Activist investor Elliott Management Corp. sold more than 4 million shares and now has about a 6.3% stake in the company, down from the nearly 10% stake it held before.
Elliott, which has shaken up the technology landscape in Orange County before, pressed the ouster of former Emulex Chief Executive and Chairman Jim McCluney and worked with Emulex management to nominate three new board members, reducing the number of directors from 12 to 11.
Elliott oversees $24 billion in investments and is led by billionaire Paul Singer.
CEO Named ESCO Director
Robert Phillippy, chief executive of Irvine-based laser maker Newport Corp., has been appointed an independent director of ESCO Technologies Inc.
He was selected because of his experience running a public company and his knowledge of mergers and acquisitions, new product innovation, and international business development, ESCO said.
St. Louis-based ESCO, traded under the symbol ESE on the New York Stock Exchange, owns several companies in the utilities, electronics, testing and aerospace industries.
Newport Corp. entered the year looking for a rebound after the federal government shutdown and sequestration tempered sales in 2013.
The rosier outlook comes as it consolidates operations and zeroes in on its core lasers, optics and photonics technologies. The company is moving its manufacturing operation in Stratford, Conn., to Wuxi, China, and Bozeman, Mont.
It said it expects the move to conclude by midyear and that it will save the company about $1 million annually.
Newport employs more than 2,400 globally, including about 420 in Irvine.
