Contact: Jane Van Ryan

703/676-4097

(VALLEY FORGE PA.) August 30, 2000 A team led by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) today announced the successful completion of its first network connectivity solution under the Wide Bandwidth Information Infrastructure (WBII) Program.

At the U.S. Armys Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., on August 22 and 28, 2000, the team demonstrated a high-bandwidth fiber optic connection that connects two geographically distributed hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) facilities supporting the Armys Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Program. The WBII program, the THAAD Project Office, and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) jointly implemented the WBII network.

The completion of the fiber optic link and the final installation of networking and encryption hardware have provided a real-time distributed simulation connection for the THAAD Evaluation Center (TEC). The TEC provides a reconfigurable, integrated test bed of THAAD tactical hardware and software, models and simulations to support engineering analysis and assessments of THAAD system performance.

Visiting dignitaries, including congressional delegations, laboratory directors, and military commanders were given a first-hand glimpse of this enhanced distributed simulation capability during the demonstrations.

Dr. M.J. Lavan, director, Advanced Technology Directorate, stated, "The WBII program demonstrates the benefit of applying information technology solutions to the major defense acquisition program sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. The WBII program has many applications for end-to-end system HWIL testing and will lead to improved and faster transfer of Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) to the battlefield."

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The WBII contract, valued at $6.3 million, is managed by the Advanced Technology Directorate of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) and is sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO). The main objective of WBII is to leverage information technology advances to create a system-level infrastructure to support missile defense ground test facilities. WBII is working with THAAD and other missile defense programs sponsored by the BMDO to integrate modeling, simulation and test and evaluation elements and to promote interoperability.

SAIC is the prime contractor for the WBII program and is the lead systems integrator and program manager for the Hospitals, Universities, Businesses and Schools (HUBS) initiative. The SMDC awarded the WBII contract to the SAIC team based on the information technology and wide bandwidth applications SAIC is integrating for the HUBS program. SAICs WBII team includes subcontractors Galaxy Scientific Corporation of Warminster, Penn., Decisive Analytics Corporation of Crystal City, Va., COLSA Corporation of Huntsville, Ala., and Miltec Corporation also located in Huntsville, Ala.

SAIC is the nations largest employee-owned research and engineering company, providing information technology, systems integration and eBusiness products and services to commercial and government customers. SAIC engineers and scientists work to solve complex technical problems in telecommunications, national security, health care, transportation, energy, the environment and financial services. With annual revenues exceeding $5.5 billion, SAIC and its subsidiaries, including Telcordia Technologies, have more than 41,000 employees at offices in more than 150 cities worldwide. More information about SAIC can be found on the Internet at www.saic.com.