Pratt & Whitney Acquires Spacecraft And Missile Components Supplier

Defense Daily, Nov 26, 2008

United Technologies [UTX] yesterday said that its Pratt & Whitney division has acquired New Jersey-based ARDE, Inc., a small business that manufacturers components for spacecraft and missile propulsion systems.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ARDE will report to Pratt's Rocketdyne business unit.

"The addition of ARDE to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne enhances our offering of superior quality, leading edge products and services to our customers," Jim Maser, president of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, said in a statement. "We see ARDE as a key enabler of our growth as a full-service provider of integrated propulsion solutions to the commercial, military and civilian space market."

ARDE is a small, employee-owned company that produces pressure vessels, propellant tanks and support structures, and provides integration of propulsion subassemblies. The company has produced over 4,000 spacecraft and missile tanks and has more than 60 years of in-flight incident-free service to the aerospace industry. ARDE has customers the United States and internationally.

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