General Dynamics Awarded NSA Contract for Warfighters and Government Personnel to Order 'All-in-One' Secure Smartphone

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 17 -- The National Security Agency (NSA) has awarded a contract to General Dynamics C4 Systems enabling Military and government users to order the Sectera(R) Edge(TM) secure, Wireless phone/personal digital assistant (PDA) or "smartphone." The Sectera Edge smartphone will be available to U.S. Department of Defense, Homeland Security and other government personnel with initial deliveries expected in fourth-quarter 2007. The Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract has a potential value of $300 million over five years. General Dynamics C4 Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics .

"The Sectera Edge smartphone effectively replaces multiple devices and is an elegant convergence of cutting-edge communications and information assurance technologies packaged in a rugged, user-friendly design," said John Cole, vice president of Information Assurance at General Dynamics C4 Systems. "Military and government users will have secure network connectivity whenever they need it, even on-the-move."

Developed under the NSA Secure Mobile Environment/Portable Electronic Device (SME PED) program, the Sectera Edge smartphone will provide wireless access to the U.S. Government's Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) and Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet), enabling users to email, web-browse and, with one touch, switch between classified and unclassified data communications.

Similar in form and function to a commercial cell phone/PDA, the Sectera Edge smartphone will operate on existing Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) commercial cellular networks. The smartphone will also interface with the Department of Defense Public Key Infrastructure using the government's standard Common Access Card.

General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, is a leading integrator of secure communication and information systems and technology.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 82,900 people worldwide and anticipates 2007 revenues of more than $27 billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.