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Oct 19, 2009 at 12:00 AM EDT

Mercury Computer Systems Announces Completion of V1.0 OpenVPX Specification; New Architecture Drives System Interoperability, Lowers Costs

Mercury Computer Systems Announces Completion of V1.0 OpenVPX Specification; New Architecture Drives System Interoperability, Lowers Costs

CHELMSFORD, Mass., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mercury Computer Systems, Inc., (Nasdaq: MRCY), a leading provider of embedded, high-performance computing systems and software for image, sensor, and signal processing applications, and the founder of the OpenVPX™ Industry Working Group (www.openvpx.org), an alliance of 28 leading defense prime contractors and embedded computing systems suppliers, today announced the completion of the V1.0 OpenVPX System Specification. Mercury also expressed its intent to support the embedded computing industry's standards body, VITA, and the VITA 65 Committee membership's effort to quickly ratify the OpenVPX specification as a VITA standard.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081013/NEM013LOGO )

In January 2009, Mercury Computer Systems launched the OpenVPX Industry Working Group to take a proactive approach to addressing the VPX system-level interoperability concerns associated with the VPX (VITA 46) family of specifications. This visionary effort immediately gained the support of other key COTS embedded suppliers, prime contractors, and leading systems integrators to create and publish a top-down, system-level specification for module, backplane and development chassis architectures and pinouts necessary to create interoperable VPX systems and assemblies. The group set a very aggressive timetable to complete the V1.0 OpenVPX System Specification by October 2009.

"The cross-company teamwork required to complete this specification in a collaborative, consensus-driven, standards-body environment, while maintaining an aggressive nine-month project schedule was truly remarkable to see. We are justifiably proud and gratified to have created such a strong, open-architecture specification for the embedded computer systems VPX community," said Ian Dunn, CTO, Mercury Computer Systems and OpenVPX Steering Committee Chairman.

After listening to many customers' concerns regarding the status of the VPX 46 standards, Mercury took the lead in forming the OpenVPX Industry Working Group to address VITA 46 VPX interoperability concerns. In response to these customer concerns, the working group set out to address several objectives, including reducing the time to market for developing COTS solutions in 3U and 6U form factors, increasing supplier options, lowering adoption risk with improved interoperability, reducing delivery times for new production systems, and reducing the total cost of system ownership.

Following precedent set by VITA and other organizations, the working group began as small group of companies in order to create a structure that could deliver a viable open system specification to the industry. With strong interest in the OpenVPX initiative from leading defense contractors and other embedded computing systems suppliers, the circle of expertise quickly expanded to 26 companies. In addition to the significant technical challenges, the group tackled many customer concerns as well. The result of this cross-industry Technical Working Group is the new V1.0 OpenVPX System Specification, which was presented to the VITA 65 committee on October 19, 2009, for VSO ratification before year's end. As all the OpenVPX Working Group members are also VITA members, it is expected that the specification will be quickly balloted and ratified by the VITA 65 VSO committee.

Once the OpenVPX System Specification is transitioned into VITA, plans call for the Working Group's Technical Working Group to disband. The OpenVPX Industry Working Group will hold a press conference at the MILCOM show today in Boston to provide more information about the new Open VPX System Specification.

"Open-systems architectures, high performance, and interoperability in a multi-vendor environment can only be achieved by establishing system-level standards," said Didier Thibaud, general manager of advanced computing systems at Mercury Computer Systems. "Mercury believes that the Open VPX System Specification with multi-plane reference architectures provides the basis for delivering innovative, smart-processing solutions designed to meet or exceed current and future DoD-critical, real-time embedded SWaP application requirements. We wish to thank all the OpenVPX and VITA member companies, and Ray Alderman, VSO chairman, for their unyielding support and contributions to the OpenVPX IWG efforts. Mercury is proud to have been a part of such a committed team."

For more information on OpenVPX, visit www.openvpx.org. For more information on the VITA Standards Organization, visit www.vita.com.

About VPX

VPX, known as VITA 46, is an ANSI standard (ANSI/VITA 46.0-2007) defined by the VMEbus International Trade Association (VITA) that provides VMEbus-based systems with support for switched fabrics over a new high-speed connector. The VPX standard was developed to define a new generation of computing systems that will utilize high-performance switch fabrics as well as operate in harsh environments.

Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.

Mercury Computer Systems (www.mc.com, NASDAQ: MRCY) provides embedded computing systems and software that combine image, signal, and sensor processing with information management for data-intensive applications. With deep expertise in optimizing algorithms and software and in leveraging industry-standard technologies, we work closely with customers to architect comprehensive, purpose-built solutions that capture, process, and present data for defense electronics, semiconductor equipment manufacturing, commercial computing, homeland security, and other computationally challenging markets. Our dedication to performance excellence and collaborative innovation continues a 25-year history in enabling customers to gain the competitive advantage they need to stay at the forefront of the markets they serve.

Mercury is based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and serves customers worldwide through a broad network of direct sales offices, subsidiaries, and distributors.

Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those relating to the OpenVPX Industry Working Group and the V1.0 Open VPX system specification. You can identify these statements by our use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, including unforeseen weakness in the Company's markets, effects of continued geo-political unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, continued funding of defense programs, the timing of such funding, changes in the U.S. Government's interpretation of federal procurement rules and regulations, market acceptance of the Company's products, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, inability to fully realize the expected benefits from acquisitions or delays in realizing such benefits, challenges in integrating acquired businesses and achieving anticipated synergies, and difficulties in retaining key customers. These risks and uncertainties also include such additional risk factors as are discussed in the Company's recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.

    Contact:
    Kathleen Sniezek, Public Relations Manager
    Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.
    978-967-1126 / ksniezek@mc.com

OpenVPX is a trademark of VITA. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.

Kathleen Sniezek, Public Relations Manager of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc., +1-978-967-1126, ksniezek@mc.com
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