Whittaker’s Defense System Still in Demand
Fortunately for the troops involved, the 1991 Persian Gulf War was relatively short. It was so short that the U.S. Army didn’t have time to debut a highly touted defense system manufactured by Simi Valley’s Whittaker Corp.
Since the end of that conflict, Whittaker has been reconfigured, as has the international climate. But despite the shifts, Whittaker’s high-tech defense machinery--the Shortstop Electronic Protection System--continues to be in high demand.
Whittaker Electronic Systems, the division responsible for producing the Shortstop units, late last year merged with San Jose-based Condor Systems. The combined operation is now manufacturing the Shortstop defense system for use by U.S. soldiers in South Korea.
Condor/Whittaker Electronic Systems has signed a $9.3-million contract with the Army to produce 44 Shortstop units, also known as electronic umbrellas, to protect troops against the threat of fuze-activated artillery, rockets and mortar shells. The contract also includes training and spare parts.
The fuzes activate when they get within a preset distance of their intended destinations, generally human targets. The umbrellas are used to jam the fuzes, causing weapons to detonate earlier than intended.
“The general [in South Korea] came in and stated to the Army and the Congress that there was a very pressing need for the Shortstops,” said Tim Davis, president of Condor/Whittaker. “The North Koreans have a lot of artillery and, we believe, with a lot of proximity fuzes.”
When the Shortstop systems first were produced, under the emergency deadline of the Gulf War, the 135-pound devices were not easily transported. They either needed to be attached to a tripod and placed on a battlefield or mounted on a mobile vehicle.
The two models currently in production include a more mobile 25-pound version to be carried by the troops in a backpack and a 50-pound stand-alone vehicle-mounted version.
Davis said the first batch of Shortstop units is expected to be delivered to the Army by January, with the remainder of the 44 arriving by the following June. Beyond that initial contract, Davis said, he anticipates future sales to the Army and other branches of the U.S. military.
“This project--I would bet--we will be building for the next 10 years, maybe longer,” Davis said. “Depending on how much money Congress appropriates for [fiscal year] ‘99, they may order more this year, in 2000, in 2001. I would say an order of 50 units a year for the next four or five years is very certain.”
Condor/Whittaker has begun negotiations with the U.S. Marine Corps. Davis said he expects the Marines to order an initial 10 to 15 units in 1999. He cited a proliferation of proximity fuzes for the anticipated sales increase.
“All the military in the world really like proximity fuzes because they cause the most damage on [human] targets when you get near them,” he said.
Studies conducted by Condor/Whittaker have shown that 23 countries use proximity-fuze artillery, Davis said, with 20 million to 30 million fuzes sold annually worldwide.
“We are the only people who have ever developed a system that works against them,” Davis said. “This is classic ‘spy versus spy.’ I come up with a way to jam the fuze, and the other guy comes up with a way to make the fuze better, and it keeps going that way. But we haven’t found anybody yet that we can’t jam.”
Condor/Whittaker has a staff of 110 employees, 85 of those working from the Simi Valley facility. More workers would be required, Davis said, if sales of the Shortstop defense systems meet expectations.
