Digital Angel Corporation Awarded $3.2 Million Contract From South Carolina Army National Guard for Satellite-Based Flight Trac
June 08 2006 - 7:35AM
PR Newswire (US)
Pilot Program to Evaluate OuterLink System Regarding National
Guard, Department of Homeland Security Operational Requirements for
Secure Communications and Real-Time Management of Mobile Assets SO.
ST. PAUL, Minn., June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digital Angel
Corporation (AMEX:DOC), an advanced technology company in the field
of rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and
condition monitoring of high-value assets, announced today that its
OuterLink subsidiary has won a $3.2 million contract from the South
Carolina Army National Guard. The pilot project will demonstrate
the capability of OuterLink's satellite-based Automatic Flight
Following System (AFFS) to communicate with helicopter and ground
vehicle fleets at the McEntire National Guard Base at Eastover, SC.
A key component of the program will apply the OuterLink system's
secure wireless data communications to demonstrate seamless
interoperability with existing communications equipment of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal or state
public safety agencies, said OuterLink President Paul F. Newcomb.
The terms of the 12-month contract call for OuterLink to deliver
the Automatic Flight Following System; integrate it into existing
National Guard equipment including helicopter and ground based
vehicle operations; to test and operate it; and to provide
logistical support, Newcomb added. The contract became effective on
June 1, 2006. "Our systems provide dependable satellite
communications every day for our customers, that include U.S.
Customs & Border Protection, Gulf of Mexico helicopter
operators, and more than 100 air ambulance operators we work with,"
Newcomb said. "This program will not only demonstrate the
interoperability between our satellite communications network and
the existing National Guard and DHS terrestrial communications
networks, but also will demonstrate the system's integration with
the aircraft Vibration Monitoring System (VMS), providing in-flight
reporting of aircraft vibration and other mechanical data. This
aspect of the contract is a further expansion on our award-winning
aircraft Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) integration
project with the US Navy. We worked very hard to win this contract
and we are looking forward to expanding our role in supporting DHS
missions to include National Guard operations." Digital Angel's
ultimate goal is to make the OuterLink satellite system the
standard for providing condition-based maintenance information for
all National Guard units as well as other agencies involved with
the DHS and with the Department of Defense, said Digital Angel
President and CEO Kevin McGrath. The contract allows for extensions
to cover the possibility for additional work after the initial
pilot program is completed. "Our system is designed to answer a
very critical communications need: providing reliable
communications in any condition and particularly when helicopters
and other aircraft are operating beyond any radio coverage and at
low altitudes that are well below existing radar coverage," McGrath
said. "If this pilot project progresses like we are confident it
will, we believe that other units of the National Guard, Department
of Homeland Security and Defense Department will recognize the
value of the system, which may lead to additional installations in
the future." U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Massachusetts), whose
district includes OuterLink's Lowell, MA headquarters,
congratulated OuterLink on developing the technical expertise that
led to winning the new contract. "OuterLink is on the cutting edge
of secure wireless data transfer and the Army National Guard will
benefit from their expertise," Meehan said. "I am pleased to have
assisted OuterLink in obtaining this contract and I look forward to
their continued growth." Newcomb said that the value of the
OuterLink communications system is proven on a daily basis in the
Gulf of Mexico where approximately 650-700 helicopters operate up
to 9,000 air taxi flights a day between the coast and offshore oil
drilling platforms that are now up to 200 miles offshore.
OuterLink's In-Flight Reporting System monitors and tracks aircraft
to ensure safety while in flight. About OuterLink Based in Lowell,
MA, OuterLink, a Digital Angel subsidiary, provides satellite-based
mobile asset tracking and data messaging systems. Used to manage
the deployment of aircraft and land vehicles, these systems provide
real-time location reporting, secure bi-directional data
communication and comprehensive asset management software. They
enable ground personnel to track the minute-by-minute movement of
mobile assets, monitor on-board sensors and conduct bi-directional
messaging with aircraft pilots and ground vehicle operators. For
more information, visit http://www.outerlink.com/. About Digital
Angel Corporation Digital Angel Corporation develops and deploys
sensor and communications technologies that enable rapid and
accurate identification, location tracking, and condition
monitoring of high-value assets. Applications for the Company's
products include identification and monitoring of humans, pets,
fish, poultry and livestock through its patented implantable
microchips; location tracking and message monitoring of vehicles
and aircraft in remote locations through systems that integrate GPS
and geosynchronous satellite communications; and monitoring of
asset conditions such as temperature and movement, through advanced
miniature sensors. Digital Angel Corporation is majority-owned by
Applied Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSX). For more information about
Digital Angel, please visit http://www.digitalangelcorp.com/. The
statements in this press release that are not strictly historical,
are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A
of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 and are intended to be covered by the safe
harbors created by these sections. The forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties and the actual results that
the Company achieves may differ materially from these
forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties,
including, but not limited to; that Applied Digital Inc. owns 55.4%
of the Company's common stock; that new accounting pronouncements
regarding expensing of share based compensation may impact the
Company's future results of operations, the Company may continue to
incur net losses, infringement by third parties on the Company's
intellectual property or development of substantially equivalent
proprietary technology by the Company's competitors could
negatively impact the Company's business, domestic and foreign
government regulation and other factors could impair the Company's
ability to develop and sell its products in certain markets, the
Company relies on sales to government contractors for its animal
identification and search and rescue beacon products, and any
decline in the demand by these customers for such products could
negatively affect the Company's business, the Company depends on a
single production arrangement for its patented syringe-injectable
microchips, and the loss of or any significant reduction in the
production could have an adverse effect on the Company's business,
technological change could cause the Company's products to become
obsolete, the loss of one of the Company's principal customers
could negatively impact the Company's net revenue, the Company's
earnings will decline if the Company writes off goodwill and other
intangible assets, options and warrants outstanding and available
for issuance may adversely affect the market price of the Company's
common stock, currency exchange rate fluctuations could have an
adverse effect on the Company's sales and financial results, the
Company depends on a small team of senior management. A detailed
statement of risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's
reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in
particular the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2005. Investors and stockholders are urged to read
this document carefully. The Company can offer no assurances that
any projections, assumptions or forecasts made or discussed in this
release will be met, and investors should understand the risks of
investing solely due to such projections. The Company undertakes no
obligation to revise any forward-looking statements in order to
reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of
this press release. Contact: Allen & Caron Inc. Mike Lucarelli
(investors) Len Hall (media) (212)-691-8087 (949)-474-4300
DATASOURCE: Digital Angel Corporation CONTACT: Investors, Mike
Lucarelli, +1-212-691-8087, , or Media, Len Hall, +1-949-474-4300,
, both of Allen & Caron Inc., for Digital Angel Corporation Web
site: http://www.digitalangelcorp.com/ http://www.outerlink.com/
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