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The decision by executives at Curtiss-Wright Controls to create a new Defense Solutions group came after customers voiced concerns over duplicative work at two of the company’s business units, one of the company’s executives said.
Curtiss-Wright, which makes computers for aircraft and ground vehicles, is now in the process of ending the “overlaps” among projects at the company’s Electronic Systems unit in San Clarita, Calif., and its Embedded Computing group in Ashburn, Va., said Lynn Bamford, senior vice president and general manager for the new Defense Solutions group. Customers “could see things happening that really didn’t make sense,” she said.
Curtiss-Wright executives discussed creation of the new group in a Jan. 9 media webinar in which they fielded written questions from reporters.
The new organization will be based in Ashburn, although the Santa Clarita office will remain open. The group will compete for C4ISR and electronic warfare projects while enhancing Curtiss-Wright’s research and development in those areas, executives said.
Formation of the new group is in keeping with the Obama administration’s focus on modernization of existing equipment and the emphasis of the U.S. Army and Navy on controlling costs by setting design standards and incorporating commercial off-the-shelf technology, said Mike Macpherson, vice president of strategic planning for the Defense Solutions group.
“We’re really positioned well to do that,” he said.
Bamford said the change had been discussed internally for six to eight months.
