[Satellite TODAY Insider 03-04-11] EMS Technologies generated earnings of $6.1 million during its 2010 fourth-quarter — a sharp increase from the $2.4 million it reported last year — driven by strong LXE tracking sales and a $1 million research and development tax credit from the U.S. government, the company announced in its latest financial results issued March 3.
    EMS took in $98.1 million in consolidated revenues for the year, compared with $85 million in 2009. CEO Neil Mackay said his company’s strong performance in 2011 enabled management to set 2011 revenue projections between $385 million and $405 million.
    “EMS is positioned for growth, and we expect strong results in 2011 and beyond,” Mackay said during a conference call. “Strong growth in our North American LXE business fuelled our results. Global tracking comprises powerful enabling technologies that are helping fuel the demand to track and communicate with people and assets on the move, anywhere in the world.”
    EMS’ global tracking fourth-quarter 2010 revenues increased 24 percent to $10.9 million, compared with $8.8 million in the same period last year. Mackay said that higher airtime revenues and installation of systems for search and rescue personnel contributed to the company’s improvement. “We believe the integration of our global tracking business with LXE will be a competitive advantage and an important key for long-term success,” he said.
    EMS’ Defense and Space business also made significant gains on cost cutting and expanded business on data-links for aircraft. The division generated operating profits of $1.8 million on revenues of $17.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with the same period last year when revenues were $900,000. Defense sales increased 15 percent in the 2010 full-year compared with 5 percent in 2009.
    Mackay also announced that EMS Defense and Space received a contract from Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) to provide an X-band satcom antenna system for the U.S. military’s RC-12 aircraft. EMS will convert its WavestormTM GS-X antenna into an airborne model, the Wavestorm AS-X, and provide the antenna subsystem with related hardware and technical support. EMS’s Wavestorm GS-X antenna was developed as a ground-based satcom antenna to support wideband communications requirements for systems transmitting across the various X-band constellations including Xtar, Skynet and Wideband Global Satcom (WGS).
    “We developed our X-band antenna system to meet the growing need for improvements in the transmission of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data around the globe,” EMS Defense and Space Vice President Norm Johnson said in a statement. “The antenna has undergone several demonstrations that prove it can exceed our data rate requirements and can be rapidly fielded by the military in support of urgent warfighter needs.”
   SAIC will begin flying the Wavestorm AS-X in April.

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