Aitech and LynuxWorks Partner to Provide Comprehensive Software and Hardware Solutions to Military and Aerospace Markets

SAN JOSÉ, Calif., May 22, 2006—Aitech Defense Systems, Inc., a world leader in the development and manufacture of board and subsystem level products for harsh-environment defense, aerospace and space applications, has announced a partnership with LynuxWorks™ Inc. to provide comprehensive high-performance modular computing and integrated subsystems for aerospace, defense and industrial applications.

The companies will first port LynuxWorks' popular LynxOS® RTOS operating system family to Aitech's ruggedized, conduction-cooled PowerPC® VMEbus and CompactPCI platforms of single-board computers (SBCs). This will provide developers with lowered development cost, faster turn-around with reduced time to market, and one of the industry's highest-density computing platforms for sophisticated embedded real-time systems. Aitech has long supported customer-configured LynxOS on some of its SBCs, and this combined hardware-software solution represents the first POSIX®-conformant and Linux binary-compatible operating system to be ported native on Aitech's PowerPC SBC platform.

Doug Patterson, Aitech vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, said, "By combining the extensive talents of Aitech with those of LynuxWorks, we can provide more comprehensive, integrated hardware and software solutions to the designers who are working in ruggedized computing environments throughout the military, rugged and commercial markets."

Patterson continued, "The integrated, software development environment we can now provide under a flexible and powerful operating system like LynxOS, will enable our customers to focus their attentions on what they do best—their application software—not struggle to get the hardware to function."

Robert Day, vice president of marketing, LynuxWorks, noted, "The LynxOS family of real-time operating systems is both a proven solution as well as a widely popular choice for embedded computing applications. This partnership will give developers more advanced solutions, enabling them to develop better, faster and more cost-effective subsystems."

Aitech has a long-standing reputation as experienced industry innovator. The company was the first in the world to develop and deliver true military SAVA (Standard Army Vetronics Architecture)-compliant, 6U x 160 mm conduction-cooled VMEbus single-board computers in 1985. Aitech was also the first company to supply and radiation-qualify multiple VMEbus products for use on the International Space Station (ISS). Today, Aitech is dedicated to the PowerPC and other families of RISC microprocessor technology, and continues to lead the industry in performance and innovation for real-time, hard deadline, embedded computing systems with particular emphasis on harsh environment and mission-critical applications.

With more than 18 years of proven experience, LynuxWorks' LynxOS is designed to meet the most stringent requirements for real-time mission-critical applications. Developers are able to enjoy the time-to-market and investment-protection as well as advantages of open standards-based development using the LynxOS RTOS. In addition, LynxOS provides open APIs, Linux ABI compatibility, full POSIX conformance, a 30 percent real-time performance increase and an advanced set of networking features for uncompromised performance.

For more information please call 888-Aitech-8 (248-3248), visit www.rugged.com, or e-mail sales@rugged.com.

About Aitech

Established in 1983, Aitech offers military and space-qualified, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products for rugged defense, aerospace and space applications, radiation tolerant and MIL-SPEC solutions; providing VMEbus and CompactPCI boards, power subsystems, mass memory, enclosures and hardware subsystem integration along with configuration and component obsolescence management services. In addition, Aitech utilizes its broad base of off-the-shelf products and technologies to develop customer-specific solutions, deliver superior cost-performance and reliability, and expedite time to market. Applications for its products range from mission processors, fire control and mission control subsystems for ground vehicles, surface and subsurface naval platforms, tactical and strategic fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and low- to high-earth orbit space vehicles.

About LynuxWorks

LynuxWorks is a world leader in the embedded software market, providing operating systems, software development products and consulting services for the world's most successful communications, aerospace/defense, and consumer products companies. Established in 1988, the company is a technology leader in the real-time operating systems (RTOS) industry. LynuxWorks' headquarters are located in San Jose, California.

LynuxWorks is a trademark and LynxOS and BlueCat are registered trademarks of LynuxWorks, Inc. Other brand or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective holders. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

LynuxWorks press contacts

Kirsten Long Director, Marketing Communications LynuxWorks, Inc. USA +1 408-979-4404	Barbara Stewart Patterson & Associates USA 480-488-6909
Hamid Mirab Managing Director EMEA LynuxWorks Ltd. United Kingdom +44 208-906-9506	Peter van der Sluijs Neesham Public Relations Europe +44 1442-879222