Aeroflex Announces New Radar Stability Test System with Superior Accuracy

New measurement technique gives PN9002 superior accuracy at a fraction of the cost of in-house systems

Plainview, NY -- April 7, 2003 -- Aeroflex Incorporated (Nasdaq:ARXX) today announced the PN9002, a new pulse-to-pulse radar stability test system designed to improve the accuracy of ground-based radar design for example, while significantly reducing the cost of radar testing.

The PN9002 system enables measurements of amplitude and phase stability of radar pulses with a dynamic range superior to any commercial or custom system. To achieve the accuracy necessary for designing today's radar systems, most radar system designers rely upon test systems that are built in-house. The Aeroflex PN9002 eliminates the need for radar designers to spend time building test systems that can cost their company up to $1 million to develop. By using the PN9002's superior dynamic range and in-pulse measurement technique, engineers can dramatically improve their radar design—it will detect smaller targets at farther distances, with smaller return echoing.

"We have developed the PN9002 test system to enable designers and manufacturers to perform high accuracy radar stability testing at low cost. It is a great improvement over previous measurement methods using power meters and phase noise analyzers," said Guillaume De Giovanni, product marketing manager, Aeroflex phase noise systems.

About the PN9002 Pulse-to-Pulse Radar Stability Test Systems
The PN9002 is a unique test system for the design and manufacturing of radar systems. Fast, compact and fully automated, the PN9002 is a stand-alone system, ideal for radar stability measurements. It integrates hardware and software to test a two-ports module for amplitude and phase stability. The PN9002 acts as a "micro-radar" providing pulsed signals to the unit under test (UUT) and analyzing the received pulses. The system covers 400 MHz to 18 GHz in a scaleable configuration that can be extended for future needs. The PN9002 guarantees the lowest noise floor available in the market today. The dynamic range reaches an unprecedented –79dBc in stability integration over the bandwidth of the equivalent receiver.

The Need for More Accurate Testing Grows with Adoption of Phase-Array Antennas
Before the PN9002 pulse-to-pulse stability measurement system, amplitude and phase stability measurements of radar signals were only accomplished by a system of averaging the radar pulses. Because of the wide time frame between the "on" and "off" part of the pulse, the "off" part of the pulse being sampled added significant noise to the measurement, creating a less accurate measurement. The new PN9002 measurement technique does the analysis of the radar pulse inside each pulse during the "on" part of the pulse. By not sampling the "off" part of the pulse, the added noise is eliminated. Sampling inside each burst and pulse, the PN9002 provides a real-time amplitude modulation/phase modulation (AM/PM) measurement ideal for TWT amplifiers and transmitter/receiver (T/R) module testing.

The PN9002 provides an accurate measurement that allows the radar engineer to design tighter specifications. The exceptional accuracy results in a radar system that detects targets that are farther away or smaller. This measurement is critical to improving any radar system. However, with the rapid adoption of phase-array antennas, the need for this measurement will become even more necessary and widespread very soon. While conventional radar systems require the testing of only one amplifier, a single phase-array antenna incorporates up to 3,000 modules that need to be tested, dramatically increasing the amount of testing. With the PN9002's automated capabilities, high-volume testing is fast, providing an immediate solution to testing large volumes of amplifiers to tight specifications.

PN9002 Specifications: Overview
System Specifications:
U.U.T Input / Output Frequency Range: 2 to 18 GHz, Option 0.4 to 18 GHz
Max available Level to U.U.T Input: 13dBm ± 2dBm (PN9002 output)
U.U.T required Output Level: 0dBm to 2.5dBm (PN9002 Input)
U.U.T power supply synchronization: option, TTL
Clock Output for Synchronization: TTL 50 MHz
Number of pulses to be analyzed: 4 to 16
Number of samples per pulse: 4 to 128 (depending on pulse width)
Minimum pulse width: 200ns
Maximum pulse width: 500ms
Sampling Clock frequency: up to 50 MHz
Residual noise, system noise floor: -76dBc cancellation guaranteed
-79dBc typical
-76dBc stability guaranteed (9mdeg RMS or 0.016% AM RMS)*
-79dBc typical (6.5mdeg RMS or 0.011% AM RMS)
System Accuracy: +/- 2dB
Instantaneous Bandwidth: 20 MHz max (digital adjustable Bessel filter)
* Within a receiver bandwidth of 20 MHz, AC coupled, on a monotonous pulse pattern.

Pulse Modulator Specifications:
Non-Reflective modulator
Rise/Fall Time: 10ns
ON Time: 30ns
ON/OFF Ratio: 80dB
Stability: included in residual system noise floor

Pattern Generator Specifications:
Rise/Fall Time: 10ns
Minimum pulse width: 200ns
Output level: TTL, 50W
Time resolution: 20ns

Software Specifications:
Microsoft Windows XP pro
Open / Save plots and configuration
Print plots or acceptance report
Hanning, Hamming, Blackmann, etc…
Standard deviation, RMS, peak to peak, multiple interpolations
Simple 0dB adjustment by different methods, phase and amplitude measurement sequence
Standard pulse burst or Stagger pattern (Stagger not compatible with FFTs)
Full feature access or restricted "acceptance only mode"

Price and Availability
The PN9002 pulse-to-pulse stability test system is available immediately. Delivery is 12 weeks upon receipt of order. Pricing depends upon modules ordered. A starting system includes a generator rack with a pattern generator, internal low phase noise synthesizer and pulse modulator; an analyzer rack that includes an added-noise module, phase/AM detector, video shifter/LNA amplifier, and signal processing module; a programmable phase shifter; and control unit with display, keyboard and mouse. A starting configuration is priced at approximately U.S. $160,000.

About Aeroflex
Aeroflex Incorporated is a global provider of high technology solutions to the aerospace, defense and broadband communication markets. The Company's diverse technologies allow it to design, develop, manufacture and market a broad range of test, measurement and microelectronic products. The Company's common stock trades on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol ARXX and is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 index. Additional information concerning Aeroflex Incorporated can be found on the Company's Web site: www.aeroflex.com.

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release regarding Aeroflex's financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of its management for future operations are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Aeroflex or its management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of Aeroflex's management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to its management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to, competitive factors and pricing pressures, changes in legal and regulatory requirements, technological change or difficulties, product development risks, commercialization difficulties and general economic conditions. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to the future and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to Aeroflex's financial condition, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity.