Press and News - 25.06.2003

u-blox and NAL Research Successfully Pass DoD Certification.

Manassas/VA, Herndon/VA, June 25, 2003 - NAL Research and u-blox America announced today that they successfully passed the HERO and HERF certifications of the Department of Defense. With these certifications, NAL Research's equipment using u-blox GPS receivers can now be used in rugged and hazardous environments throughout the U.S. military.

NAL Research has integrated the u-blox SIRFstar™II TIM and the ANTARIS™-based TIM-LP mini-GPS receivers in its 9500/9505 Iridium satellite modems, an asset tracking device also used by the U.S. military. "Due to the global presence of the U.S. forces, our customers in the DoD community need to track reliably equipment located anywhere in the world," says Ngoc Hoang, President of NAL Research. "Given the often hostile operating environment, u-blox GPS technology has proven an excellent choice."

Trent Duewer, Chief Hardware Engineer at NAL Research: "We were able to use the same design for the TIM and the TIM-LP without any changes. This compatibility saved us significant time and cost during the certification process. Only u-blox could offer this type of second source concept."

The HERO (hazards of electromagnetic radiation to ordnance) and HERF (hazards of electromagnetic radiation to fuel) certifications for NAL Research's 9500/9505 modems with u-blox GPS receivers means that they can be used to track ordnance storages, fuel containers as well as other transports. During "Operation Iraqi Freedom", the U.S. forces relied on more than 300 of the 9505 Iridium modems to determine the position of vehicles and supplies at any given time.

"We are very excited that NAL Research has selected u-blox as its GPS technology partner," says Nikolaos Papadopoulos, Vice President of Sales at u-blox America. "With our high-precision and ultra-reliable TIM and TIM-LP, NAL Research can now offer universal asset tracking solutions."

"By passing the DoD certification in NAL Research's 9500/9505 modems, we have achieved another milestone in proving the reliability of our GPS technology in critical and highly demanding U.S. military applications," says Karsten Tietz, President of u-blox America.

About NAL Research

NAL Research is a privately-held company headquartered in the Northern Virginia area. NAL Research has expertise in designing optical sensors at wavelengths from ultraviolet to near-infrared. NAL also develops satellite data modems employing the Iridium Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network. These modems are being used in a wide range of applications ranging from asset tracking to oceanographic research. Further information can be found on www.nalresearch.com.

About u-blox

u-blox develops and markets positioning technologies based on the Global Positioning System (GPS). u-blox provides its products to Original Equipment Manufacturers, which integrate and utilize u-blox' miniaturized GPS modules and chipsets. u-blox is a privately held company founded in 1997 and headquartered in Thalwil, Switzerland, with subsidiaries in Germany, UK, USA and Hong Kong. The North American headquarters, u-blox America, Inc., is located in Herndon, Virginia.

-end-

Press Contacts

u-blox America, Inc.
Karsten Tietz , President
phone: +1 (703) 234-5290, e-mail: karsten.tietz@u-blox.com

Further Information

Press Releases 2003

Press Release (PDF Format)

Newer Entry

Older Entry

/news/nal.html
last modified: 20.06.2003

Important legal information - please read the disclaimer before proceeding.

© u-blox ag, 1997-2008