Lake Forest, California | March 26, 2019–Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics) has today announced the appointments of senior executives to three key sales positions across its organization.

Panasonic Avionics today named Malcolm McKay Vice President of Sales. McKay will be responsible for accelerating and driving top-line annual growth for Panasonic Avionics and will develop and plan the company’s worldwide sales processes and methodologies.  He will oversee Sales Leaders over each product line including Digital Solutions, Software as a Service (SaaS), Panasonic Technical Services and Connectivity, Sales Operations & Enablement.

Mark Jennings, Chief Operating Officer at Panasonic Avionics said: “With his successful track record over many years at Panasonic Avionics, and given his wide knowledge of our customers and the overall air transport market, Malcolm is the ideal candidate to drive Customer Success across our broad portfolio of products and services. We are very excited to have him lead the cross-functional team responsible for identifying new opportunities for growth for our company.

McKay was previously Sales and Marketing Director, Europe for Panasonic, a position he had held since 2005.

In addition, Tom Eskola has been named Regional Vice President and General Manager for the Middle East, Central and Southern Asia and Africa (MECSAA) region, and Hernan Abbes has been named to the Regional Vice President and General Manager for the Americas and Oceania region.

Eskola and Abbes will play leading roles in accelerating and driving top-line annual growth, Customer Success and overall market share for the region in alignment with the overall business strategies. They will also be responsible for the regional P&L, managing all aspects of sales and marketing, customer service, field engineering, general management and corporate compliance in their regions.

Jennings added: “Throughout their careers here at Panasonic Avionics, Tom and Hernan have consistently provided thought leadership with an unwavering commitment to Customer Success and driving the company’s strategic initiatives. We believe that they will bring a track record of success to their positions, and that they will provide regional leadership to all employees and facilities in their organizations.”

Eskola was previously Head of Panasonic’s Customer Performance Center and joined the company in 2011.

Hernan was previously Senior Director for Americas & Oceania Regions and joined the company in 2011.

Jennings added: “We have long believed in recognizing and growing talent across our organization and are delighted to announce these promotions and the elevation of these skilled and proven executives to new leadership positions within Panasonic Avionics. Between them, we know that Tom, Hernan, and Malcolm will all play significant roles in the future growth and success of our Customers and our company.”

Scottsdale, USA | November 5, 2018.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Board of Directors of Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE:CSL) has declared a dividend of $0.40 per share, payable on December 3, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 19, 2018.

Astronics will collaborate in the mission to enable seamless in-cabin connectivity experiences

East Aurora, USA | October 11, 2018– Astronics Corporation, a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace, defense and semiconductor industries, announced that it has joined the Seamless Air Alliance as an “Adopter Member.”

The Seamless Air Alliance is a consortium of companies dedicated to
the development and promotion of aircraft connectivity standards to
facilitate a simple, delightful experience for passengers. The goal of
the organization is to create standards that ensure continuous
connectivity from gate-to-gate anywhere in the world with the
additional potential benefit of reducing the hurdles associated with the acquisition, installation and operation of inflight connectivity systems.

“By joining the Seamless Air Alliance, Astronics continues to take a leading role in aircraft In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFE&C) system development and certification by shaping next generation IFE&C hardware technology explorations and advancements,” explained Matt Harrah, President of Astronics AeroSat. “With next- generation satellite technologies coming on board, it is important to look across network technologies to optimize the on-board connectivity architecture for providing the most appropriate system configurations for airlines’ business models. Astronics looks forward to collaborating with the other Seamless Air Alliance members to develop new connectivity standards that will improve the passenger experience.”

“We are very pleased to have Astronics join the Seamless Air Alliance and contribute their expertise alongside other market leaders defining the next generation of inflight connectivity,” said Jack Mandala, Seamless Air Alliance Chief Executive Officer.

Astronics AeroSat provides aircraft IFC antenna and radome systems and Astronics CSC provides aircraft inflight entertainment hardware systems, as well as certification services.

Lake Forest, USA | October 10, 2018– Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) has appointed Donny Cheah, as Regional Vice President, China.

This strategic hire will bolster Panasonic’s presence in China which is the fastest-growing region in the world for air travel. To date, Panasonic has sold more than 2,000 inflight entertainment and connectivity solutions to airlines based in this region.

Donny will also serve as the president of Panasonic Avionics (China) Co., Ltd. (PACN) which will be newly established in Shanghai, China this year. In his business management role, Donny will oversee account management, customer support, repairs & maintenance, media & creative services, along with the service functions of quality, human resources, IT, and customs compliance in the China region.

Donny brings 25 years of experience in the technology and telecommunications industries with roles based across the Asia Pacific region, including Hong Kong and Singapore. Most recently, he was President & CEO at Sumitomo Drive Technologies, with P&L responsibility for China and Hong Kong.

Prior to this, Donny spent almost 15 years at Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, where he gained significant commercial experience, including: Managing Director of China, Senior Director of Global Accounts, and Regional Head of Australia, India, Middle East, and subsequently Europe and U.S.

Cate Gutowski, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Services at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, says: “Donny’s wealth of commercial knowledge, and business leadership expertise in the Asia Pacific market will be instrumental in leading our China team as we grow our presence in this exciting and dynamic region.”

Commenting on his appointment, Donny Cheah, Regional Vice President, China at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, says: “The Asia Pacific region, and China in particular, is a rapidly growing aviation market – and one that is integral to Panasonic’s success in the region. To be joining the company at this exciting time as it evolves into a digital services and solutions business is a great honor.”

Donny holds a Masters in Business Administration from University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and a Bachelor of Business, Marketing and Management from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. 

Achieves Milestone of 10 Billion Semiconductor Devices Tested To Date

East Aurora, NY | July 10, 2018– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading supplier of advanced technologies to the global aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems, announced the shipment of its 2,000th semiconductor tester and that its equipment has tested more than 10 billion semiconductor devices to date. For the past two decades, Astronics Test Systems has served as a partner to the world’s largest semiconductor device manufacturers, helping to ensure that critical electronics go to market with zero defects.

Since 1996, Astronics’ test solutions have evolved
from low-volume system-level test (SLT) to massively parallel test solutions, including burn-in tools and system-level testers, to keep pace with the increased volume and complexity of semiconductor units under test. Astronics’ custom test solutions ensure optimal performance of complex electronic products by providing increased test coverage at a lower overall cost of test.

“This is an exciting time to design custom test solutions for our semiconductor customers. We are honored by the trust that these companies continue to place in our ability to tackle increasingly complex test challenges,” said Jim Mulato, President of Astronics Test Systems.

Innovations in semiconductor technology are driving the momentum for SLT. Moore’s Law not only reduces the size of transistors, but also causes a proportional increase in untested transistors as well as yield overkill, also described as “throwing away good parts.” Astronics SLT solutions improve fault coverage despite these new test challenges.

Automotive semiconductor devices are newcomers to SLT and gaining more attention in the test industry. Astronics Test Systems will be at SEMICON West, presenting “Key Considerations for an Automotive Semiconductor SLT Strategy,” at the Test Vision 2020 workshop. To learn more, visit Astronics Test Systems in booth 2405, July 10-12, 2018 at SEMICON West in San Francisco, California, or online at Astronics.com.

Nuremberg, Germany | March 15, 2018– FAI Technik GmbH, part of the FAI Aviation Group, is pleased to have signed a dealership agreement with Rockwell Collins to become one of its accredited dealers.

Effective immediately, the agreement means FAI Technik can sell, install and maintain Rockwell Collins’ avionics and cabin electronics equipment from its headquarters at Albrecht Dürer International Airport in Nuremberg, Germany.

The announcement marks a new phase in the relationship between Rockwell Collins and the broader FAI Aviation Group, which began in July 2016 and formally launched on Jan. 5, 2018.

Rockwell Collins’ Regional Sales Manager for Germany, Robert White, commented, “Given FAI’s growth since 2016, we believe we are best placed to take advantage of the upturn within business aviation. Adding FAI Technik to our group of dealers in Europe brings an encouraging scope to both our cabin and avionics capabilities, providing our customers with targeted aftermarket solutions being carried out by a competent and qualified dealer.

“We are excited to further expand our maintenance capabilities by offering Rockwell Collins’ industry-leading products to our customers,” stated Siegfried Axtmann, Chairman and Co-Founder of FAI Aviation Group.

“FAI Technik is growing incredibly fast,” Axtmann continued. “In 2017, we inaugurated our new hangar 8 and undertook some of our most challenging maintenance projects to date. We also marked our most impressive year in terms of revenue, which increased by 40% compared to 2016.”

• Expects 2018 revenue of $745 million to $815 million
• Expects to record non-cash impairment charge of approximately $16 million in fourth quarter of 2017

East Aurora, NY | January 11, 2018– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace, defense and semiconductor industries, announced today updated expectations for 2017 year-end results and revenue guidance for 2018.

Astronics announced that bookings for the 2017 fourth quarter were approximately $229 million. The Company’s Aerospace segment contributed $171 million in orders, which included $17 million in orders related to the December 1, 2017 acquisition of Telefonix PDT. The Test segment had $58 million in bookings, which included $56 million for semiconductor test equipment.

The Company updated its 2018 consolidated revenue guidance to $745 million to $815 million. The Aerospace segment is expected to have a revenue range of $630 million to $680 million including Telefonix PDT. The Test segment is expected to have revenue of $115 million to $135 million.

The Company also announced that it expects to record a non-cash goodwill impairment charge against the goodwill associated with Armstrong Aerospace of approximately $16 million in the 2017 fourth quarter.

Peter J. Gundermann, President and Chief Executive Officer of Astronics Corporation, commented, “We are disappointed with the goodwill situation at Armstrong, but we believe the combination of that business with Telefonix will perform well in the future. At the same time, we believe we have very strong momentum as we enter 2018. Our strong bookings in the second half of 2017 sets the stage for a very exciting year.”

The Company expects to release its fourth quarter and full year 2017 financial results in late February 2018.

London, UK | January 9, 2018–Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), the global event that showcases innovations in aircraft passenger experience, will return to the Hamburg Messe from 10^th – 12^th April 2018, for the 19^th annual AIX.

The leading event will host 500+ exhibiting companies, more than 1,200 airline buyers from 268 unique airlines and lessors and almost 14,000 visitors.

Over 30 new exhibiting companies including 3D Systems, General Aerospace GmbH and Vanema will join longstanding exhibitors such as Acro, Boeing, Gogo, Haeco, Inmarsat, Molon Labe, Panasonic Avionics and Thales.

The week will commence with the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) on Monday 9 April and is set to examine the impact of futuristic travel trends on the air and rail industries. Visitors to the event will hear from speakers including Rosalyn Gough, Cabin Quality Product Manager at Thomas Cook Group Airlines, José Rui Marcelino Chief Executive Officer of Almadesign and Raymond Kollau Founder or AirlineTrends. The event will also feature breakout sessions exploring Convergence and Mobility, Sustainability and Flexibility and Personalising the passenger journey, followed by the popular Industry Networking Party.

2018 will not only see AIX span a larger floor space, but introduce new and improved networking opportunities to ensure that attendees can easily initiate business discussions and maximise their time spent at the event.

Both visitors and exhibitors can enhance their show experience by using My Event on their mobile or desktop to build their own itinerary. The tool enables all attending AIX to create a personal list of must-see contacts and book meetings before and during the show, as well as tagging key products and CabinSpace Live sessions of interest.

Visitors to this year’s show will also have the opportunity to hear industry leaders discussing the latest trends and insights on the aircraft cabin, consolidation and the interiors supply chain and the future of IFE, in the Cabin Space LIVE Seminar theatre.

Polly Magraw, Event Director, Aircraft Interiors Expo comments: “As AIX approaches its milestone 20th anniversary in 2019, the 2018 show illustrates how the event has evolved to become a platform for companies right across the passenger experience sector, and the world’s largest event dedicated to aircraft interiors.

“For the thousands of influential airline buyers who attend the show each year, AIX covers the full spectrum of aircraft interiors from cabin design innovations to in-flight entertainment and connectivity. This enables our exhibitors to generate highly-targeted business leads and network with the who’s who of the aircraft interiors industry. For visitors, AIX is the perfect place to connect with the entire supply.”

AIX returns to join the Passenger Experience Week line up, comprising four leading events in one destination – the Passenger Experience Conference, AIX, World Travel Catering and On Board Services Expo (WTCE) and new to 2018, Passenger Technology Solutions. The new event will offer attendees a chance to discover and source the latest developments in passenger technologies from mobile initiatives, IT solutions, big data and analytics technology and payment technology suppliers – all enhancing the passenger experience.

With all Passenger Experience Week events being staged under one roof, the Hamburg Messe is the destination to discover the latest cabin interiors, inflight entertainment and connectivity, onboard technology, passenger comfort, catering and retail offerings to create the ultimate passenger experience.

For more information about Aircraft Interiors Expo please visit: http://www.aircraftinteriorsexpo.com

Communications expert with a long-standing track record in aviation IT

Raunheim | January 8, 2018– Lufthansa Systems today announced that Ansgar Lübbehusen took over as the company’s Head of Marketing & Communications effective January 1, 2018. In this role he will be responsible not only for communications but also for the entire marketing activities of Lufthansa Systems.

Ansgar Lübbehusen started his career at Lufthansa Systems in 2004 after earning a degree in business administration. In the more than 13 years that he has worked for the aviation IT specialist, he has held various positions in Marketing, Communications and Business Development. After five years in Strategic Marketing, Lübbehusen worked for Lufthansa Systems Americas in the USA from 2009 to 2013. During this time, he was responsible for marketing and market development as well as press and public relations.

Back in Germany, he worked in Business Development at Airline Solutions, taking over a leading position in project management in which he managed communications via online platforms, among other things. In June 2015, Ansgar Lübbehusen took over as Head of Corporate Communications and press spokesman.

More information on Ansgar Lübbehusen on the social Web: Xing;LinkedIN

Former president of Delta Design Systems at Cohu brings deep technical and industry experience 

Irvine, California | January 3, 2018–

Former Zodiac Aerospace executive to take leadership role in reliable and on-time execution of customer and OEM programs

Lake Forest, California | September 26, 2017– Panasonic Avionics today announces the appointment of Adri Ruiter as its new Vice President of Global Operations.

With almost 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, Adri will be responsible for key global operations activity, including operational strategy, program management, supplier management and global manufacturing to ensure the highest level of consistent customer delivery.

Ruiter previously held a number of positions at Zodiac Aerospace, including President and CEO of Zodiac Seats US, where he was instrumental to Project Fusion, a joint seat integration program between Zodiac (then Weber Aircraft LLC) and Panasonic. The design of the integrated seat ultimately led to the introduction of Panasonic Avionics’ industry-leading Eco Monitor family designed for the X Series IFE system.

Ruiter’s most recent role at Zodiac was as Director of Restore Margins, where he led group operational excellence workshops at Zodiac Aerospace sites across North America.

Mark Jennings, Chief Operating Officer, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said: “We are delighted to welcome Adri to Panasonic Avionics. As the world leader in inflight entertainment and connectivity, we have over 300 airline customers around the world, each with their own sets of requirements for hardware, software, and system performance. Adri’s unique experience within the cabin industry will bring a greater focus to Panasonic, ensuring that we will always deliver the best product, on time, with the highest quality and backed by a support process that ensures the best long-term return on their investment.”

Adri Ruiter, Vice President of Operations, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said: “It is with great pleasure that I take up this important role at Panasonic and I’m excited to be part of an organization world-renowned for its inflight entertainment and connectivity technology. I look forward to working with the team to drive operational excellence within the business.”

Revolutionary Versatility for Passenger and Utility Power in the Aircraft Cabin

East Aurora, NY | October 3, 2017 – Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading supplier of advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace, defense and semiconductor industries, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems (AES), has added the Dual Frequency Converter Unit (DFCU) to its EMPOWER® system line of products for the business and VVIP jet industries.

A revolutionary departure from traditional converters, the DFCU produces 4,000 watts of either 115 or 230 volts AC to support passenger and utility power anywhere in the world. The new DFCU incorporates Astronics’ latest solid-state electronic circuit breaker (ECB) technology and offers programmable ECB outputs that can be custom configured to each cabin, eliminating the need for a secondary distribution panel and saving both cost and weight.

The DFCU is now commercially available and is already designed into an initial customer aircraft.

France | July 4, 2017– Thales was ranked third best amongst 41 suppliers in the annual Airbus Supplier Support Rating 2016. The rating is based on a direct survey conducted by Airbus of more than 150 customer airlines worldwide.

 This result confirms the proven and constant reliability of the customer support organisation that Thales can bring to bear globally. The Group has been within the Top 10 performers for Airbus over the past 11 years. Thales also reached an unprecedented 1^st position in Airbus’s own evaluation of its suppliers. All Airbus customer services departments recognised the excellent support provided by Thales.

“A Airframers and airlines nowadays operate in an ever more complex, competitive and global marketplace. As such the ability to maintain fleet operations at maximum capacity at all times is essential to their success. In a market more and more saturated with MROs offering average service levels, having Thales’s technical, operational and relational excellence makes us the ideal choice for the more demanding customers. We always strive for more and will continue our efforts to make airline operations ever smoother and more efficient ”

Eric Huber, Thales Vice President, Avionics Services Worldwide activities.

New instruments expand growing line of PXIe instruments with waveform generation and digitizer functions
East Aurora, NY | January 23, 2017– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Astronics Test Systems, introduced two new test instruments today. The new PXIe-1802 Arbitrary Waveform Generator and the new PXIe-1803 Digitizer deliver unprecedented test capabilities and measurement accuracy in a compact, robust PXI form factor for aerospace, defense, communications, and other high-reliability applications.

“The demand for high performance PXI test instruments continues to rise, both as legacy test systems are upgraded with additional functionality and as new systems are introduced,” explained Steve Fairbanks, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Astronics Test Systems. “Our latest additions to our product portfolio enhance our ability to provide a breadth of test functionality for next generation test initiatives.”

Top Flight Performance in Waveform Generation and
Digitizer Functions

The PXIe-1802 Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) offers
both speed and performance for output frequencies of up to 125 MHz. With built-in waveforms,high signal quality, high density and modularity, and a host of other convenient features, this AWG delivers dual 14/16-bit waveform generator channels, bandwidths of 90-140 MHz, synchronization, and 250 μV measurement accuracy.

The PXIe-1803 is a 130/180 MS/s dual-channel digitizer providing industry-leading speed and performance for input frequencies up to 175 MHz. With exceptional signal integrity, high density, and modularity, this new digitizer provides a dual-channel 14/16-bit digitizer configurable as
separate or fully synchronized channels. Other features include waveform bandwidths of 65-175 MHz (typical), 64M of waveform memory per channel, and relative accuracy of up to 0.006%.

For datasheets and to request pricing and availability, visit www.astronics.com.

France | December 12, 2016– Latécoère Group has announced that the scope of its Design Organisation Approval (DOA) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has now been extended to match its own broader scope of activities.

The extension applies to minor changes, major changes (Supplemental Type Certificate or STC) and repairs for large aircrafts, and now covers electrical systems, avionics systems, structures, doors and hydro-mechanical systems.

This DOA accreditation is official recognition of the Group’s technical expertise and know-how in the integration of onboard systems, and means Latécoère is now able to include these systems (Cockpit Door Surveillance Systems, Landscape Camera System, etc.) in a global offer for its clients.

It has already enabled Latécoère to win three calls for tender for companies including Pegasus, and talks are also underway on around twenty other projects.

By giving Latécoère more autonomy to directly position itself with respect to operators, the DOA approval is a formidable strategic advantage for growth on markets with a higher value-added.

Minneapolis, Minnesota | September 22, 2016– Panasonic Avionics (Panasonic) today announced that its weather division, Panasonic Weather Solutions, is providing ground operations weather forecasting to Denver International Airport. The company’s Forecasting Center of Excellence (FCoE) provides detailed station-based weather forecasting, as well as enhanced weather forecasting for significant convective and winter weather events.

Panasonic’s FCoE delivers unparalleled weather forecasting information, with days-out accuracy, via customized products that offer at-a-glance ease of use.

Panasonic’s expert meteorologists utilize highly-accurate and unique atmospheric datasets, as well as sophisticated 4D quality control and proprietary forecasting models, to provide Denver International Airport ground operations with state-of-the-art and unmatched forecasting for informed decision making.

Panasonic Avionics CEO, Paul Margis, said: “Our Weather Solutions division sets the standard for world-class weather forecasting. We are proud to partner with Denver International Airport Ground Operations to deliver the most accurate weather information available for operational safety and efficiency.”

Margis continued, “Denver International Airport can be confident that the weather forecasting they receive from Panasonic will provide them with an operational advantage, from proper staffing levels to staging the right equipment and materials appropriate to the weather circumstance.”

• Lufthansa Systems releases a new generation of its navigation app for iOS

Raunheim, Germany | September 6, 2016– Lufthansa Systems today announced the release of Lido/mPilot 2.0, a comprehensive update to its successful navigation app for the iPad. The new-generation app features a more modern design, faster loading times, better performance and a Bluetooth connection to flight deck avionics systems. Existing customers can download Lido/mPilot 2.0 from the App Store and update their systems from September 2016.

“The trend toward mobile solutions for a paperless flight deck and greater flexibility for pilots and airlines shows no sign of slowing down,” said Igor Dimnik, Director Products at Lufthansa Systems. “With our new Lido/mPilot 2.0 app, we are taking another step in the direction of connectivity on the flight deck. Our outstanding cooperation with industry partners enables us to offer airlines comprehensive, integrated solutions.”

Lufthansa Systems worked with UTC Aerospace Systems and their products to turn an iPad installed with Lido/mPilot 2.0 into a full-fledged Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) system. Using a UTC Aerospace Systems Tablet Interface Module®, which has a Bluetooth connection, the iPad is linked to the company’s Aircraft Interface Device (AID) which enables data management. This will provide access to relevant avionics data such as GPS information, and the aircraft’s speed and heading. Together the hardware and software will facilitate navigation and contribute to improved situational awareness for pilots.

Lido/mPilot 2.0 also reduces the workload for pilots. Before a flight, one of the pilots selects the airport maps and route and stores them on his or her device. Thanks to a new import function, the other pilot can then import this data directly to his own iPad without having to repeat the procedure. This simplifies the administrative processes and frees up pilots for more important tasks.

The user interface was completely overhauled for the update in accordance with Google’s Material Design principles. This gives users the benefit of a more modern and intuitive app design with a familiar, uniform look which can be used across all platforms. This design concept will also be applied to the Windows-based Lido/eRouteManual app very soon. The new Lido/mPilot 2.0 additionally offers faster, better performance and much shorter start-up loading times.

Around 70 airlines have already opted for the mobile Lido/mPilot navigation solution since the app was launched in early 2015. The modular app offers features such as airport charts, a dynamically generated enroute map and a document management and distribution system that enables pilots to access documents and messages both at home and on the move. A status overview with intuitive icons guarantees a clear flow of information.

Lake Forest, California | August 3, 2016– Panasonic Avionics Corporation is engaging with elite “white hat” hackers through leading bug bounty provider HackerOne to ensure the security of its inflight entertainment systems.

HackerOne has helped major companies such as General Motors, Uber, Twitter, Airbnb, DropBox and Adobe identify and fix security vulnerabilities as part of authorised bug bounty and vulnerability coordination programs.

Panasonic, the world’s largest provider of inflight entertainment and communications systems, is taking part in the program as it is acknowledged as best practice for effective security by identifying any weaknesses in internet-connected systems.

The bug bounty program will begin by inviting a select group of hackers to participate and will launch at the upcoming DefCon Conference which takes place August 4-7, 2016 in Las Vegas.

“Panasonic Avionics has always taken a proactive approach to security,” said Michael Dierickx, Director of Security Engineering and Information Security Officer at Panasonic Avionics Corporation. “We have extensive processes in place to identify potential and emerging vulnerabilities, and we also engage with security consultation firms who provide penetration testing and other services.

“Still, these teams bring a fresh perspective and innovative ways to search for potential issues. We want to harness this out-of-the-box thinking and create a win-win scenario that rewards both Panasonic and this community for our hard work and dedication.”

HackerOne partnered with the Department of Defence earlier this year for the U.S. Federal Government’s first ever bug bounty program “Hack The Pentagon,” which helped resolve 138 valid vulnerabilities identified by the ethical hackers.

“With the HackerOne platform Panasonic Avionics has access to the world’s most powerful external security team, the global hacker community, to continue enhancing the security of their internet-connected systems,” said HackerOne CEO Marten Mickos. “Inviting white hat or ethical hackers to hunt for bugs is a powerful method for making connected technology safer for everyone.”

• Agreement includes production aircraft and extensive retrofit program

Lake Forest, CA | July 14, 2016– China Eastern Airlines has increased its commitment to Panasonic Avionics’ (Panasonic) for global broadband connectivity services to 84 total aircraft.

The leading Chinese carrier, which, in partnership with China Telecom Satellite, was the first to offer broadband Wi-Fi connectivity on flights over Chinese airspace, and this agreement strengthens its long-term relationship with Panasonic.

The extended agreement – following the announcement of 20 Boeing 777-300ERs last November – includes 35 line-fit aircraft with and an extensive retrofit program covering an additional 49 aircraft.

Aircraft types included in the agreement are:

• One B737-800 (retrofit)
• Four B767-300 (retrofit)
• Two B767-300ER (retrofit)
• 20 B777-300 (line-fit)
• 31 A330-200 (retrofit)
• 11 A330-300 (retrofit)
• 15 A330-300 (line-fit)

Panasonic’s Global Communications Services are available across China and on over 99.6 per cent of all air traffic routes. It is the only global, broadband inflight connectivity service operating in every country in the world today and will enable China Eastern passengers to access the Internet, use email and log onto their favourite social media sites while on board.

Paul Margis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, says: “We have been helping China Eastern Airlines offer connected flights since November 2015 and remain the only provider operating over China today. Passengers increasingly expect the availability of reliable broadband Wi-Fi around the world and the roll out of this service across the China Eastern fleet will enable it to provide a connected service for its passengers”.

Zhang Chi, Deputy Director of China Eastern Airlines’ Transformation Office says: “China Eastern Airlines is committed to transforming the inflight experience for our passengers. We are constantly working with partners to discover new ways to engage passengers and to maximise the benefits of the connected aircraft. We look forward to the continued development of this extremely exciting service with the team at Panasonic Avionics.”

Panasonic Avionics’ eXConnect uses the company’s global Ku-band satellite network to deliver broadband connectivity to aircraft flying all over the world – even over oceans.

Farnborough, UK and Arlington, VA | July 11, 2016– Thales is pleased to announce a significant economic growth initiative in the State of Florida. This includes the targeted creation of 500 net-new jobs and a capital investment of greater than $20 million in the state over the next five years.

This supports the growth of the Thales’ InFlyt Experience business in central-Florida with the development of a 100-120 thousand sq. ft. facility in Brevard County and future expansion mandates for facilities in Orlando.

“Florida is the best place in the nation for aerospace and aviation companies to grow and succeed. It is great to announce that Thales chose Florida to expand and create 500 new jobs on our Space Coast at the Farnborough International Air Show today. I look forward to seeing their continued success,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott.

Thales’ constant investment in research and development (R&D) activities demands a sophisticated workforce. This local growth plan will help Thales further enhance its workforce to meet the R&D demands of a highly competitive technology-driven business environment. Together with a smart capital investment plan Thales will strengthen its R&D activities in the state to further develop cutting-edge passenger experience capabilities for today’s flying public.

Thales maintains a strong focus on the U.S. for the company’s global growth agenda and its historical investment record in the State of Florida is evidence of this long-term commitment to growth.

Announced earlier this year, Thales’ Plantation, Fla. based cybersecurity business successfully completed the acquisition of silicon-valley based Vormetric Solutions to enhance and expand its data protection and encryption offering. In 2014, Thales acquired a Florida-based in-flight connectivity company, marking the first major expansion of its InFlyt Experience business in the state.

Thales is proud to work with collaborative partners, such as the State of Florida, that help the company support a pro-growth agenda and drive digitally transformative technologies for is customers.

• Successful test flight completed using end-to-end UAS integrated avionics solution

Cedar Rapids, Iowa | July 7, 2016– Rockwell Collins, in collaboration with The University of Iowa’s Operator Performance Lab (OPL), successfully controlled an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) using its end-to-end UAS integrated avionics solution. The test flight was a key milestone toward the successful operation of UAS beyond an operator’s visual line of sight in the National Airspace System (NAS).

Key elements of Rockwell Collins’ UAS integrated avionics solution, which is optimized for safe and secure integration of UAS into civil airspace, include:

• A Ground Control Station based on Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion®—a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified integrated avionics solution
• A Command and Control Network that utilizes Rockwell Collins’ CNPC-1000 command and control data link, which is the first UAS data link to implement the recommended Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee (SC)-228 UAS Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for UAS Command and Control (C2)
• Rockwell Collins’ Athena® UAS avionics with integrated navigation and flight controls that have over a million hours of safe and reliable operation.

“A number of industries are very eager to use commercial UAS to make their operations much more efficient, especially those that need to monitor and inspect critical infrastructure such as railroads, pipelines and powerlines,” said John Borghese, vice president, Advanced Technology Center for Rockwell Collins. “In order to do that beyond line of sight in the NAS, safe and secure avionics must be implemented. We have now proven that it can be done and we are one step closer to making it a reality for this market.”

“Collaboration between private and public sectors is critical to ensuring the success of commercial UAS in the NAS,” said Dr. Thomas Schnell, director, The University of Iowa’s OPL, which provided two TBM-3M, aka “Ferox”, UAS for the flight testing.

In the coming weeks, Rockwell Collins plans to conduct its next UAS test flight, continuing to extend the range of safe beyond visual line of sight operations.

Rockwell Collins’ end-to-end UAS integrated avionics solution is optimized to scale from small to large UAS.

Lake Forest, CA | June 9, 2016– Panasonic Avionics today announced that it is offering worldwide satellite tracking to all Global Communications Services and FlightLink™ customers.

Today, the company’s Global Communications Services and FlightLink solutions, when combined with Panasonic’s AirMap application, immediately satisfy ICAO’s Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System definitions for both normal and abnormal tracking.

Paul Margis, President and Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic Avionics said, “Today, we can seamlessly enable flight tracking on over 1,500 aircraft, and we expect to extend this capability to over 3,500 aircraft over the short term. We believe that this service will ultimately help improve the operational efficiency and safety of commercial air travel.”

To support these satellite-based solutions, Panasonic has deployed extensive ground and aircraft based communications solutions that enable tracking of aircraft in a variety of configurable and tailored update rates that support airline operations and exceed the minimum requirements of the current ICAO guidance. The AirMap application is the airline portal into these operations and provides them a graphical way to monitor, track and receive alerts on their aircraft.

Unlike many proposed technologies, Panasonic’s flight tracking is based the company’s Ku-band eXConnect broadband and Iridium satellite communications solutions. This allows airlines to integrate cockpit and crew communications with their flight tracking capabilities. This gives them the opportunity to use voice or text messaging to contact an aircraft based on the situational awareness they receive from Panasonic’s tracking solutions.

Margis added, “Our airline partners have already made a commitment to purchase a satellite communications system for passenger and/or operational usage. With only incremental cost to add the AirMap application, they will have an elegant and cost-effective solution without having to spend even more capital on a separate tracking technology.”

East Aurora, NY | April 21, 2016– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO) (“Astronics”), a leading supplier of products to the global aerospace, defense, electronics and semiconductor industries, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems (“ATS”), has been awarded a number of follow-on orders from its largest customer valued at approximately $20 million. These orders are for additional production test systems, retooling, services, and support. The orders will mostly be reflected in the second quarter of 2016’s bookings, while revenue will be concentrated in the third quarter of 2016.

Peter J. Gundermann, President and CEO of Astronics, noted “These orders mark the third year of our involvement with this customer since we started deliveries in 2014. We believe this is a testament to the uniqueness and capabilities of our test solutions and the value add our ATS team provides. As we look forward, we are encouraged by our customer’s continued interest in our capabilities and anticipate extending the reach of our capabilities into new programs and new applications as opportunities allow. The return on invested capital in this business has been beyond expectations, and we expect the future to continue to bode well for us.”

The expectation of these orders was included in the previously provided range of projected revenue for the Test Systems segment in 2016, which was approximately $93 million to $109 million.

Singapore | February 17, 2016– At the Singapore Airshow, Thales announces a string of successes for its avionics business in 2015. The group will equip a staggering total of over 700 Airbus single-aisle aircraft in Asia.

Thales cements its position as the most successful aerospace systems supplier in Asia with contracts signed with 16 airlines, including China’s Air China and Shenzhen Airlines, India’s GoAir and Singapore’s BOC Aviation.
Singapore is Thales’s primary regional hub for avionics, and handles both production of key systems as well as Repair and Overhaul.

Locally, the Group manufactures flight control computer displays and electrical systems for Airbus A320’s and A350’s and for Boeing B787’s.

Key contracts signed in 2015 include, in addition to a number of undisclosed airlines, Air China and Shenzhen Airlines choosing Thales TopFlight, Flight Management System (FMS) on a total of 91 Airbus single aisle aircraft. TopFlight FMS was also chosen by Mumbai-based GoAir, one of the fastest growing low cost carriers in India, for their brand new fleet of 72 Airbus A320NEOs.

Singapore-based BOC Aviation, one of Asia’s largest and most successful aircraft leasing groups with aircraft across more than 60 airlines, also chose the Thales FMS for their baseline avionics configuration.

Most of the contracts signed across 2015 also include the Thales Low Range Radio Altimeter (LRRA) and the Thales/ACSS T3CAS surveillance platform, the leader avionics surveillance.

Singapore boasts one of the three global repair hubs for avionics and In- Flight Entertainment systems. It is responsible for a third of Thales’s Avionics repair and overhaul activities worldwide covering the entire Australasian territory.