The investment of €1.5 M has enabled EADS Defence & Security (DS) to extend the clean-room capacity of its Microwave Factory (MWF) in Ulm, Germany, for the production of microwave modules, to approximately 2,000 square meters. The extension increases the factory’s high-tech capacity for specialized high-performance electronics, e.g. next generation radars.

Approximately 200 employees at the MWF are working on the development and production of high-frequency and microwave modules that are intended, in particular, for the self-protection system of the European Eurofighter combat aircraft or for the TerraSAR-X satellite radar.

The Microwave Factory in Ulm also holds a leading position worldwide in the series production of transmit/receive (T/R) modules for the new active phased array radars, with electronic beam scanning. They are being built in large quantities and are extremely good quality, as the Ulm staff is currently able to demonstrate with a large order for 30,000 modules for the MEADS air defence system.

“Investing in the Microwave Factory is one of our activities helping us to secure our future as a global leader in security electronics,” explained Bernd Wenzler, Head of the Ulm site. “This is because top-level skills in high-performance electronics are a prerequisite for further improvements in our competitive situation.”

He continued, “These unique abilities, together with very close links between development and production within a single organization, give Ulm’s Microwave Factory a special competitive advantage. This is why we are very optimistic about a whole series of open tenders. We are now pretty well prepared for these new challenges.”