BAE Systems Receives U.S. SAFETY Act Designation for Advanced Communications System

Business Wire, April 30, 2007

NASHUA, N.H. -- BAE Systems' First InterComm[TM] first-responder interoperable communications system has received SAFETY Act designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a qualified anti-terrorism technology.

First InterComm enables first responders to interoperate using their existing radios and frequencies. The low-cost, vehicle-mounted units link all of the radios at an incident scene without costly towers or other infrastructure.

The system also allows the creation of "talk groups" to eliminate distractions resulting from too many people talking on the radio at the same time. Using First InterComm, an incident commander can maintain communication with all first responders while designating which agencies to isolate into talk groups.

"This designation is another significant step in our ability to offer cost-effective communications interoperability for our nation's first responders," said Mike Greene, BAE Systems' director of Homeland Security Solutions in Nashua, New Hampshire. "This technology will help save lives during emergencies."

The system has been demonstrated in a series of trials and exercises, including operation by first responders during actual emergencies. Police and fire departments from Amherst, Bedford, and Merrimack, New Hampshire, recently conducted a mock test of First InterComm in which officials were automatically patched in with other radios of different frequencies and operating modes, enabling them to communicate instantly.

The SAFETY Act designation is provided under a 2002 federal law known as the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act.

In 2004, the 9/11 Commission published its report documenting the difficulties first responders faced due to a lack of communications interoperability at the World Trade Center. That same year, BAE Systems established a homeland security initiative to address those needs. First InterComm is among several capabilities BAE Systems now offers to help first responders communicate more effectively.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is a global defense and aerospace company, delivering a full range of products and services for air, land, and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions, and customer support services. BAE Systems, with 88,000 employees worldwide, had 2006 sales that exceeded $25 billion.