[January 21, 2015]

McMurdo Group's Kannad Aviation Selected to Provide Complete Emergency Locator Transmitter Distress Beacon Shipset for Embraer E-Jets Second Generation Aircraft

McMurdo Group, a global leader in end-to-end search and rescue (SAR) and maritime domain awareness (MDA (News - Alert)) solutions, today announced that it has been selected by Embraer to provide complete Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) shipsets for its E-Jets second generation of aircraft, the E-Jets E2. The contract will include McMurdo Group's award-winning Kannad Integra ELTs with its new ARINC (News - Alert) GPS Interface fitted on the aircraft, and Kannad 406 MHz Survival ELTs for use by crew members in the cabin. The ELTs will be installed in various Embraer E-Jets E2s, including the E175-E2, E190-E2 and E195-E2 versions, starting in 2018. Kannad Aviation ELTs are already integrated into Embraer's existing Phenom 100, Phenom 300, Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 business jet aircrafts, and are used by some of the world's largest aircraft and airline brands including Airbus, Boeing (News - Alert), Bombardier, Pilatus, British Airways, China Airlines and United Airlines.

McMurdo Group's Kannad Aviation Selected to Provide Complete Emergency Locator Transmitter Distress Beacon Shipset for Embraer E-Jets Second Generation Aircraft. (Photo: Business Wire)

"This key win at Embraer continues McMurdo Group's leadership in the aviation industry with our innovative Kannad ELT product family, recently enhanced by Kannad Integra's ARINC GPS interface option," said Jean-Yves Courtois, CEO, McMurdo Group. "For over 60 years Kannad Aviation has provided aircraft manufacturers, airlines and other leading aviation companies with high-performing and highly reliable search and rescue technologies. We are excited to strengthen and extend our partnership with Embraer to ensure that the latest in ELT innovation is integrated into its current and future aircraft."

The only ELT with a dual positioning source: the GPS receiver on-board the aircraft and an internal GPS receiver integrated nto the beacon

The Kannad Integra ARINC e-Nav interface allows the GPS position of an aircraft to be transmitted continuously from the on-board GPS to the beacon. This allows the ELT to store and record the aircraft's position information in real-time. In addition, the ELT also has an internal GPS receiver.

The Integra ARINC e-Nav interface ensures that additional positioning data is obtained by receiving information from the on-board GPS. This allows the Kannad ELT to store and record the aircraft's latest position information in real-time which, when transmitted to search and rescue satellites, can help to reduce the search area radius from 3km (nearly 2 miles) to 60m (or 200 feet).

"When the beacon is activated, it automatically communicates with the internal GPS to determine its position. If it takes too long to connect to the GPS signal, or if there is an obstacle preventing the beacon's satellite access, the Integra system will communicate with the ARINC e-Nav interface so that it can transmit the last recorded position of the aircraft to the COSPAS-SARSAT satellites within the first minute," explains Christian Belleux, Director of the Kannad Aviation Business Unit. "With the combination of these two redundant GPS sources, the Integra system - which is already equipped with an integrated double COSPAS-SARSAT antenna - is the most reliable distress beacon on the market and increases the efficiency of search and rescue operations in the event of an accident."

The Kannad Integra-AF provides several performance advantages due to its redundant antenna and GPS interface designs. Unlike traditional ELTs, Integra Kannad ELTs have a secondary built-in antenna that will continue to transmit distress signals in the event the primary external antenna is non-functional during a crash. A dual GPS design includes a built-in GPS antenna and a connection to standard onboard GPS systems to further facilitate emergency location positioning. Other Kannad benefits including its compact, lightweight design and easy programming were also part of Embraer's decision making process.

In a typical search and rescue scenario an emergency signal from an ELT or distress beacon is relayed via satellite to Mission Control Centers and Rescue Coordination Centers for eventual rescue team deployment. This search and rescue ecosystem (known as COSPAS-ARSAT) has helped to save over 37,000 lives since 1982. McMurdo is the industry's only provider of this end-to-end search and rescue solution from distress beacons to satellite ground station communications to rescue response solutions.

For more information on McMurdo Group, please visit www.mcmurdogroup.com.

About McMurdo Group

McMurdo Group is a global leader in search and rescue and maritime domain awareness solutions. A division of Orolia (NYSE Alternext Paris - FR0010501015 - ALORO), McMurdo Group brings together 140 combined years of experience by consolidating proven Boatracs, Kannad, McMurdo and Techno-Sciences, Inc. brands into the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of life-saving and tracking technologies that save time, costs and lives. Airbus, Boeing, the British Royal Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, NASA and others are among the hundreds of aviation, maritime, government and military customers around the world using McMurdo Group distress beacons, satellite connectivity infrastructure, monitoring/positioning software and emergency response management solutions. Established in January 2014, McMurdo Group is based in Sophia Antipolis, France and has additional offices in France (Guidel), the U.S. (San Diego, Washington D.C.) and the U.K. (Portsmouth).

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150121006371/en/

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