Technical Directions, Inc. and Boeing Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Kratos TDI Engines

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. [Nasdaq: KTOS], a Technology Company in the Defense, National Security and Global Markets, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding between Technical Directions, Inc. (TDI), a business unit within Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, and Boeing [NYSE: BA] for the TDI-J85 turbine engine to provide propulsion for the Powered Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).

Boeing’s Powered JDAM combines a 500-pound ordnance, the conventional JDAM guidance kit, with a wing kit and a Kratos TDI-J85 engine to deliver high-end range at an affordable price. The cost savings is in part due to the low-cost turbine engine technology developed and enhanced by TDI over four decades. Powered JDAM will provide low-cost stand-off capability against land and maritime threats. Leveraging the JDAM family of weapons, it is designed to be produced at scale, exportable to any of the 35 JDAM partner nations, at a cost-point that enables affordable mass.

“We are proud that Boeing has selected our TDI-J85 engine for the Powered JDAM system. Incredible potential exists for this long-range, precision strike capability,” said Joseph Kovasity, Senior Vice President for TDI. “At Kratos TDI, we have been singularly focused on producing small, low-cost, military-grade turbine engines at quantity in the United States with U.S. suppliers and partners. With the Kratos acquisition of TDI, we have substantially invested in manufacturability for production scale resulting in an incredibly high engine performance-to-cost ratio, while ensuring we can meet the large quantity deliveries predicted for the Powered JDAM system and program.”

“Powered JDAM is the next step in the modular evolution of the JDAM and JDAM Extended Range family of weapons systems. Its ability to complement exquisite weapons system with low-cost stand-off capability will add new weapons capacity to the U.S. defense industrial base to support the current fight and deter future fights,” said Bob Ciesla, Vice President of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems.

The TDI-J85 straightforward architecture is capable of producing 200-lbf of net thrust at Sea-Level Static conditions. Specific Powered JDAM requirements are met with design adjustments achieving the desired thrust output at design point. The TDI-J85 is compatible with commercial and/or military kerosene-grade turbine fuels. The TDI-J85’s shaft-integral permanent magnet generator will produce up to 1.5 kW of AC power, from idle through maximum engine speeds, for P-JDAM’s onboard power requirements.

About Technical Directions Inc.
TDI has developed and refined turbine engine technologies for military applications in Michigan since 1983—providing unique features in support of low-cost, expendable turbojet engine applications, such as miniature cruise missiles and other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). With the engineering, manufacturing, and system integration employees in the Oxford, Michigan facility, TDI’s subject matter experts have experience that encompasses all aspects of this turbine engine class, from clean-sheet design, through performance testing, vehicle integration, flight testing, and production manufacturing. TDI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. For more information, visit www.TDI-Engines.com.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a technology company that develops and fields transformative, affordable systems, products, and solutions for United States National Security, our allies, and global commercial enterprises. At Kratos, Affordability is a Technology, and Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology is rapidly brought to market – at a low cost – with actual products, systems, and technologies rather than slide decks or renderings. Through proven commercial and venture capital-backed approaches, including proactive, internally funded research and streamlined development processes, Kratos is focused on being First to Market with our solutions well in advance of the competition. Kratos is the recognized Technology Disruptor in our core market areas, including Space and Satellite Communications, Cyber Security and Warfare, Unmanned Systems, Rocket and Hypersonic Systems, Next-Generation Jet Engines and Propulsion Systems, Microwave Electronics, C5ISR, and Virtual and Augmented Reality Training Systems. For more information, visit http://www.KratosDefense.com.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 25, 2022, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.

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