December 2, 2005

System will characterize signatures from potentially harmful biological threats

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC), an advanced engineering services and products company, today announced that it has received a $1.3M contract from the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah . The goal of this contract is the design, development and fabrication of a Spectral Characterization Instrument to measure the spectral signatures and cross-sections of biological simulants and agents in support of open-air range tests of Infrared/Ultraviolet Laser-Induced Fluorescence Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems. The LIDAR systems are intended to detect potentially harmful biological threat clouds. The computer-controlled instrument developed under this contract will provide the user with spectral characteristics of materials within seconds and will be capable of handling bio-level III samples. The program will be managed by Dr. Dominique Fourguette , Senior Scientist and Manager of Michigan Aerospace Corporation’s Los Angeles , CA office.

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE AWARDED $810K CONTRACT BY NAVY TO DEVELOP SYSTEM FOR LAUNCH and RECOVERY OF UNMANNED WATERCRAFT

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC), an advanced engineering services and products company, today announced that its Mechanical Systems Business Unit has received an $810K, one-year contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in West Bethesda, Maryland. The goals of this contract are to design, test and transition to production a reliable and cost-effective unmanned watercraft launch and recovery system for potential use on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. The system will apply to both Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). At-sea testing of the system is planned for 2006. The launch and recovery technology will be evaluated for other surface and underwater applications and follow-on activities may include development of sensor technology to guide the launch and recovery process. Michigan Aerospace Corporation specializes in mechanical systems that operate in harsh environments, from spacecraft to underwater platforms. Increased sales in this area led to expansion of the Mechanical Systems Business Unit, which is managed by Mr. Anthony Hays. Michigan Aerospace Corporation has also recently expanded its facilities to accommodate growth in all its business areas. A new high bay will provide capacity to meet increased demands for fabrication, testing and manufacturing.

July 18, 2005

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE AWARDED $2.1 MILLION FOLLOW-ON CONTRACT BY NOAA TO DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY FOR MEASUREMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC WINDS

Technology Being Developed to Increase Accuracy of Long-term Weather Forecasting

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) , a provider of innovative optical products and advanced engineering services, today announced that it had received a $2.1 million, one-year contract from the University of New Hampshire as part of a larger grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This follow-on contract will allow demonstration of MAC's Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) atmospheric wind measurement technology on a high-altitude balloon platform (BalloonWinds), providing wind measurements from 100,000 feet down to the ground. The BalloonWinds system is based upon Michigan Aerospace Corporation's unique technology for making wind measurements in clear air, with or without the presence of aerosols. Ground-based systems are currently in operation in New Hampshire and Hawaii and airborne systems are in development. Four flights of BalloonWinds are planned, starting in 2006. The success of BalloonWinds will ultimately pave the way for permanent satellite-based systems in the future. Such global wind measurements will significantly enhance the accuracy of long-term weather forecasts and are relevant to many civil, military and homeland security applications.

June 20, 2005

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE AWARDED CONTRACT BY NASA TO DEVELOP WIND MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT FOR AIRCRAFT

Demand Continues for Aircraft-Based Instruments

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC), a provider of optical products and advanced engineering services, today announced that it had received a contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), to build a receiver for their aircraft-based wind measurement instrument. The receiver, based on Michigan Aerospace's Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology, will enable highly accurate wind measurements to be made in clear air from manned or unmanned aircraft platforms. "The Michigan Aerospace Products Division, launched in 2004, continues to experience growth as demand increases for airborne, space and ground-based instrumentation," said Scott Lindemann, Manager of the Optical Products Business Unit.

May 23, 2005

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION APPOINTS DR. DOMINIQUE FOURGUETTE AS SENIOR SCIENTIST AND BUSINESS MANAGER OF ITS LOS ANGELES OFFICE

Addition of experienced scientist enhances company’s capabilities in optical diagnostics and sensors for aerospace applications

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC), a provider of innovative optical products and advanced engineering services, today announced the appointment of Dr. Dominique Fourguette, Ph.D., to the position of Senior Scientist and Business Manager in its new Los Angeles, California office.

Dr. Fourguette has over 17 years of experience in the development of optical sensors and laser diagnostics for aerospace applications and holds patents for an optical fluid shear stress sensor and a miniature optical particle counter. Most recently, she was Senior Scientist and R&D Manager for VioSense Corporation in Pasadena, California, where she directed the development of fiber optics based micro sensors. Dr. Fourguette has also held research positions with Rice Systems, Inc., the California Institute of Technology and Sandia National Laboratories.

In her new position with Michigan Aerospace, Dr. Fourguette will be responsible for directing the company’s work on elastic and inelastic light scattering for both remote sensing and in-situ measurements. These optical diagnostics techniques have macro-scale applications such as aerodynamic testing in large-scale flow facilities and combustors to micro-scale devices, for micro-fluidics, lab-on-a-chip analysis and applications where optical access is limited by the application’s geometry.

Dr. Fourguette is a graduate of the Université de Compiègne in France, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Acoustics and Mechanical Vibrations. She earned a M.Ph. degree and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering with a focus on laser diagnostics from from the center for Laser Diagnostics at Yale University. Dr. Fourguette has had numerous articles published on topics ranging from optical sensor development to experiments in fluids. As an active member of AIAA, she is currently the Chair of the Aerodynamic Measurement Techniques Technical Committee (until April ’06) and has served as the AMT/GT conference Technical Chair.

March 21, 2005

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION TAKING ACTIVE ROLE IN SPIE DEFENSE AND SECURITY SYMPOSIUM

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) will be exhibiting and taking part in SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering) Defense and Security Symposium 2005 in Orlando, Florida beginning March 28. The company’s president, Pete Tchoryk, and its vice president of business development, Bill Matvichuk, will be attending and actively participating in the conference.

MAC will be making available the latest information on new developments regarding its direct-detection wind LIDAR systems, interferometer components, and 2D and 3D sensing and image processing. Representatives of the company will also be on hand to discuss MAC’s growing list of engineering services, which now includes: optical design, mechanical design/analysis, image exploitation, data mining, atmospheric phenomenology and instrument modeling, fiber optics, electronics design/fabrication, and MEMS. These technologies are being applied to spaceborne, airborne, ground and marine environments.

Mr. Tchoryk will be chairing the Space Technologies and Operations track and the Spaceborne Sensors Conference. Brigadier General Pete Worden (USAF ret.) will be the keynote speaker for the Spaceborne Sensors Conference and will discuss the role of space in the nation's defense and homeland security on Monday, March 28th at 5:00pm (Room Tampa 2).  Dr. Habib of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center will open the Spaceborne Sensors conference with his keynote paper at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Both Mr. Tchoryk and Mr. Matvichuk will be available to meet with members of the media at the conference or to speak with them on the phone prior to or immediately after conference. A meeting can be arranged by visiting the company’s booth #737 or contacting Mr. Matvichuk prior to the conference.

January 1, 2005

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION LAUNCHES IMAGE EXPLOITATION BUSINESS UNIT

Company Ramping Up to Support New Contracts in Image Exploitation

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) today announced that it has launched an Image Exploitation Business Unit. This group, which consists of experts in 3-D and 2-D image processing as well as hardware development, will focus on expanding Michigan Aerospace’s product base with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA and the commercial sector . One of the first applications being pursued is 3-D sensing and processing for on-orbit spacecraft operations. The software and hardware being developed has wide-ranging potential for sensing in many different environments, including space, air, land and undersea settings. Michigan Aerospace Corporation is an optical products and advanced engineering company that provides innovative optical, opto-mechanical and mechanical systems, from conceptual design through production & implementation in the field. Its core business areas include Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems to measure the wind in the atmosphere from the ground and space, enhancing the accuracy of long-term weather forecasts; optical systems to improve the performance of manned and unmanned stealth aircraft and weapon systems; mechanisms for autonomous vehicles operating in space and undersea environments; a line of standard optical products as well as custom optical services; and software for computer vision applications. Michigan Aerospace Corporation develops products for space, airborne, ground and undersea applications.

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE AWARDED $600K CONTRACT BY NASA and DARPA TO DEVELOP 3-D SENSOR SOFTWARE

Development Extends 3-D Sensing to Spacecraft Platforms

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) today announced that it had received a $600K, two-year contract jointly funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Johnson Spaceflight Center (JSC), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop image processing algorithms for 3-D sensors . The 3-D image processing software and hardware will be applicable to space applications, such as autonomous rendezvous and docking of spacecraft, including the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, space situational awareness and future Moon and Mars initiatives. The technology also has application to other defense applications, such as face recognition, mapping, target recognition/classification, and obstacle avoidance, as well as commercial applications in the broadcast industry, gaming and biomedical communities. Michigan Aerospace Corporation is an optical products and advanced engineering company that provides innovative optical, opto-mechanical and mechanical systems, from conceptual design through production and implementation in the field. Its core business areas include Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems to measure the wind in the atmosphere from the ground and space, enhancing the accuracy of long-term weather forecasts; optical systems to improve the performance of manned and unmanned stealth aircraft and weapon systems; mechanisms for autonomous vehicles operating in space and undersea environments; a line of standard optical products as well as custom optical services; and software for computer vision applications. Michigan Aerospace Corporation develops products for space, airborne, ground and undersea applications.

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION ANNOUNCES OPENING OF CALIFORNIA OFFICE

Expansion will Provide Better Access to West Coast Customers

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) today announced that it has opened a California Office. This office will support all Michigan Aerospace business units, but with an emphasis on Image Exploitation projects, a rapidly growing business area within the company. The office is located in Berkeley and will also provide technical and programmatic support for on-going projects in Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems and mechanisms for spacecraft operations. The office will be led by Mr. Trenkle who has over 18 years experience in image processing, pattern recognition and visualization. Michigan Aerospace Corporation is an optical products and advanced engineering company that provides innovative optical, opto-mechanical and mechanical systems, from conceptual design through production and implementation in the field. Its core business areas include Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems to measure the wind in the atmosphere from the ground and space, enhancing the accuracy of long-term weather forecasts; optical systems to improve the performance of manned and unmanned stealth aircraft and weapon systems; mechanisms for autonomous vehicles operating in space and undersea environments; a line of standard optical products as well as custom optical services; and software for computer vision applications. Michigan Aerospace Corporation develops products for space, airborne, ground and undersea applications.

MICHIGAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION ADDS TWO EXPERIENCED SCIENTISTS TO ENHANCE IMAGE EXPLOITATION ACTIVITIES

Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC) today announced the hiring of two scientists. John Trenkle and Aaron Hickerson will primarily support Image Exploitation activities, a rapidly growing business area within the company. Mr. Trenkle has over 18 years experience in image processing, pattern recognition and visualization and Mr. Hickerson has experience in software engineering and applied mathematics. Michigan Aerospace is expanding its software development capability in 3-D and 2-D image processing in response to growth in computer vision-related business in civil space, Department of Defense, and commercial markets. Mr. Trenkle received his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University, Detroit in 1989, and Mr. Hickerson received his Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002. Michigan Aerospace Corporation is an optical products and advanced engineering company that provides innovative optical, opto-mechanical and mechanical systems, from conceptual design through production and implementation in the field. Its core business areas include Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems to measure the wind in the atmosphere from the ground and space, enhancing the accuracy of long-term weather forecasts; optical systems to improve the performance of manned and unmanned stealth aircraft and weapon systems; mechanisms for autonomous vehicles operating in space and undersea environments; a line of standard optical products as well as custom optical services; and software for computer vision applications. Michigan Aerospace Corporation develops products for space, airborne, ground and undersea applications.