ENSCO, Inc. Press Releases

Team ENSCO Will Continue Development of Unmanned Vehicle to Compete in Next Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grand Challenge

24 Mar 2004 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., March 22, 2004 – Team ENSCO, a company-sponsored and volunteer group of ENSCO researchers and engineers, announced today that development efforts will continue for their autonomous ground vehicle. Team ENSCO was among the top 15 (pole position number 8) of the 22 pre-qualified entrants selected for the 2004 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge Qualification, Inspection and Demonstration (QID) event at the California Speedway, March 8-12, 2004. The 15 participated in the DARPA Grand Challenge race from Barstow, Calif. to Primm, N.V., March 13.

Though none of the vehicles made it more than seven miles through the very harsh environment of the planned 142 mile path, ENSCO’s vehicle, DAVID, traversed the first few nodes of the race before driving through thick bushes at the edge of the desert road and overturning as it became dislodged. DARPA officials clocked DAVID at 30 mph, the second fastest speed of all competing vehicles. Team ENSCO was the only vehicle to rollover during the QID and land on its wheels, and then be back up and fully functioning in only 5 hours.

ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, contributed significant resources for this project in order to support the development of innovative technologies in advanced path planning; obstacle characterization; and avoidance using active and passive sensor systems and autonomous dynamic vehicle control. The company is committed to encouraging entrepreneurial spirit within its employee population. Team ENSCO was one of only two Virginia teams selected and one of only five total East Coast teams participating.

DARPA will hold another Grand Challenge event in 2005 and Team ENSCO committed to again vie for a seat in the race. “We will be there,” said Team ENSCO leader, Gary Carr. “Our vehicle will be significantly enhanced and we will be there.” Team ENSCO’s approach in the 2004 event utilized an off-the-shelf all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that was substantially modified to improve stability and obstacle avoidance capabilities. The ATV was instrumented with an inertial navigation system and a differential global positioning system (DGPS), a complex obstacle detection and avoidance system using laser radar (LIDAR) and Doppler radar, and an active system for steering, braking and throttle control.

Team ENSCO is unique in that it represents one of a few of the entrants undertaking the majority of the challenging aspects of this competition on its own and utilizing a large amount of volunteer time on the part of its employees. The team is joined by several individuals from The George Mason University Geography Department to assist with the vehicle’s path finding capabilities; an individual from the Georgetown University Physics Laboratory; and interns from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Sponsors include National Instruments, MathWorks and Whelen Engineering, which have donated hardware and software technology components for the entry vehicle. “It is a tough challenge—a grand challenge—you can always bet that it is not doable. But if you don’t push the limits, you can’t learn,” said ENSCO engineer and Team ENSCO member, Venkatesh Vasudevan.

ENSCO’s President, Greg Young shared his perspective of the DARPA Grand Challenge. “The building of autonomous vehicles for our military is an exciting and challenging undertaking and one that serves an essential service in helping to keep our men and women in uniform out of harms way in military conflicts and war. We were proud to participate and proud of the results. The opportunity to learn, discover, create, problem solve, work as a team and develop and integrate one of the most sophisticated systems ever built is something our team will cherish and remember for the rest of their lives. Our team members’ experiences here will benefit their contributions to the many programs and research efforts they will engage in at ENSCO for years to come.”

About Team ENSCO

Team ENSCO is a group of researchers and engineers that specialize in developing innovative technologies. All members of this company sponsored-volunteer group are employed by ENSCO Inc. who has contributed significant resources for this project. ENSCO, Inc. is an innovative engineering, science and advanced technology solutions company with clients in the defense, security, transportation, environmental, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $90 million, 725-person privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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Esterel Technologies and ENSCO Inc. Team on Products and Services for Safety-Critical and Mission-Critical Applications

24 Apr 2004 12:00:00 EST

Mountain View, Calif., Endicott, N.Y., Falls Church, Va., Elancourt, France, April 27, 2004 – Esterel Technologies and ENSCO, Inc. today announced that the two companies will collaborate on sales, marketing and engineering services for the Esterel Technologies product, SCADE Suite (Safety Critical Application Development Environment), which enables specification, simulation, verification and automatic code generation for safety critical applications. SCADE Suite is the corporate choice of Airbus and other leading organizations with requirements to develop high reliability embedded software including applications that must be certified under the strict avionics software development guideline, DO-178B, Level A.

Esterel Technologies' products enable the developers of safety and mission-critical applications to design correct-by-construction real time software for avionics, defense and space. With SCADE, users can create graphical, unambiguous and deterministic specifications. SCADE’s features include its advanced state machine module, SAFE State Machines, and its formal proof module Design Verifier* which allows developers to formally prove safety properties at the model level. Users benefit from the DO-178 B, Level A qualifiable code generation capability of KCG by allowing them to eliminate much of the low-level testing requirement thus dramatically cutting project cost.

“We are very pleased to enter into this partnership,” said Jean-Marc Talbot, CEO of Esterel Technologies, Inc. “Our customer base is expanding rapidly and having the ability to work closely with ENSCO, one of the leading engineering companies servicing the safety and mission-critical market, will greatly benefit our users.”

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology services for mission-critical software development and engineering systems for avionics operations and control. ENSCO also designs sophisticated computer models that make NASA launches more reliable; develops monitoring systems that safeguard government facilities and national landmarks; and provides safety assurance and operational efficiency for the Federal Railroad Administration and rail industry.

“This alliance will enable both companies to expand their ability to serve the growing and complex software development market,” said Jay Ficarro, ENSCO’s deputy division manager for avionics. “Esterel is the provider of the only embedded dynamic systems software code generator qualified at Level A of DO-178B for airborne software applications and ENSCO is one of the largest safety-critical software services firms in the U.S.”

About Esterel Technologies

Esterel Technologies products and services solve the problems of high reliability embedded design creation, validation and verification with complete tool suites supported by the power of abstraction and synchronous languages. Esterel Technologies’ tools create unambiguous specifications that produce correct-by-construction, automated, implementation in software and/or hardware. Today, SCADE Suite™ is the de-facto standard for the creation of safety-critical embedded software in the civilian avionics industry and SCADE Drive™ is the emerging standard for the creation of critical-embedded software in the automotive industry. Esterel Studio™ allows embedded hardware designers to create a golden specification model that can be automatically implemented in RTL, C or Ada.

Esterel Technologies is a privately held company with headquarters in Mountain View, California USA, and Elancourt, France and offices in Germany, the UK and China. For additional information please contact the Esterel Technologies website at www.esterel-technologies.com.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $90 million, 725-person privately-owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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Kevin Pruett to Lead Cocoa Beach Division of ENSCO, Inc.

04 May 2004 12:00:00 EST

Cocoa Beach, Fla./Melbourne, Fla., May 4, 2004 – ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company announced today that Kevin Pruett, City Commissioner of Cocoa Beach and formerly Senior Business Development Manager for Homeland Security at Harris Corporation in Melbourne, Fla., has joined the company as Division Manager of the Aerospace Science and Engineering (ASE) Division, located in Cocoa Beach, Fla. In this role, Mr. Pruett will manage ENSCO’s existing government and commercial aerospace programs, as well as direct strategic planning for new initiatives. Under his leadership, the division’s vision is to become the premier architectural provider for sophisticated aerospace systems engineering and weather processing programs.

“The addition of Kevin to our team comes at an important time for our systems integration business,” said ENSCO’s President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Young. “He will be very influential to our continued growth and we are delighted that he has agreed to join ENSCO.”

Mr. Pruett’s previous experience will be an invaluable benefit to ENSCO’s growth into new markets. While at Terion Inc., a Harris venture capital funded company, he held the position of Director of Program Management for asset tracking products. In this role, he managed teams in Melbourne, Fla. and Plano, Tex., focused on leveraging government and commercial technologies aimed at increasing operating efficiencies in the trucking industry. During his eighteen-year tenure at Harris Corporation, he led several successful business development initiatives for the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Air Force and commercial weather programs. Prior to his weather assignment, Mr. Pruett was Harris’ on-site contract manager for the U.S. Air Force Range Operations Control Center systems integration project at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

“Kevin’s weather and range experience align with ENSCO’s core competencies in meteorological science and launch range technology and support,” said ENSCO Vice President of Strategic Business Development John Warburton. “In addition, his experience at Terion is directly applicable to several ENSCO technology initiatives targeted for commercial applications.”

Mr. Pruett received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida. He also earned a master of business administration degree from Florida Tech. He earned his Certified Professional Contract Manager certificate from the National Contract Management Association and is a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. Mr. Pruett currently serves as a commissioner for the City of Cocoa Beach, Florida. In addition, he also sits on the Board of Trustees for Cape Canaveral Hospital.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. Continues to Lead the Railroad Supplier Industry in Advanced Technology for Safety

01 Jul 2004 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., July 1, 2004 – ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, continues to lead the railroad supplier industry in advanced technology for safety. ENSCO has successfully implemented the TrackIT™ system for CN. The new product provides a Web-based database enterprise system which integrates a variety of track data sources including track inventory, track geometry, rail condition, rail flaw data, track quality, work programs and certain visual inspection data.

CN, like most Class 1 railroads, has a number of track inspection systems and track-related databases, with different origins and primary applications. ENSCO's Track IT technology will enable CN to manage their track assets more effectively. All CN track asset stakeholders will be provided with rapid data access and power display and reporting tools, including historical data comparison supporting track degradation analysis. ENSCO has been providing system-wide automated track assessment for U.S. railroads and is now offering the Track IT services package internationally. CN is the first international installation of Track IT.

Track IT can manage all types of track data to be used for applications including:

Monitoring and analyzing current track condition
Quality assessment
Viewing historical data on track inspections and exceptions

Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.

ENSCO's expertise in track geometry data collection and management is what prompted CN to award the contract for Track IT to the company.

"We needed a way to integrate data from quite a number of sources, including track geometry, rail wear, asset inventory and work programs," said Glenn Chafe, system manager, engineering systems for CN. "Track IT offers the ability to bring in data sources using Internet-based state-of-the-art technology."

ENSCO currently offers three levels of service with the Track IT package. The company can provide data to railroads that has been collected by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) track inspection vehicles. Alternatively or in addition, ENSCO can take data that the railroad has collected and use Track IT to organize and manage the results. ENSCO also offers inspection services and PDA's with GPS for inspectors in the field. This comprehensive solution enables railroads to plan all of their track geometry monitoring, inspection and maintenance through one system, rather than keeping track of several disparate databases.

Future enhancements to the package include capabilities to project track conditions and plan maintenance. ENSCO will roll out enhancements over to next two years to make Track IT a complete asset management system, including inspection scheduling and work order reporting. ENSCO is also working with the FRA to provide Track IT customers access to data collected by FRA track inspectors.

ENSCO has thirty years of experience in railroad instrumentation, data communications, Global Positioning System integration, Geographic Information Systems, Web-based applications, and other critical rail technologies. Many ENSCO systems have been developed with direct support from the FRA.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $90 million, 750-person privately-owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
More about ENSCO

Media Contact:
Susan Williams
Public Relations Director
Phone: (703) 321-4405
Fax: (703) 321-4529
E-mail: williams.susan@ensco.com

Business Development Contact:
Kevin Kesler, Deputy Manager
Applied Technology and Engineering Division
Phone: (703) 321-4444
E-mail: kesler@ensco.com

ENSCO, Inc. and Sandia Announced Today that SENTRY™ is Operational

31 Aug 2004 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., August 31, 2004 – ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, and Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), announced today that the SENTRY™ chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) Early Warning and Decision Support System is now operational on SNL's Security Evaluation Network (SEN) in Albuquerque, N.M. The SEN, implemented across Sandia’s facilities on Kirtland AFB, consists of numerous security products networked on a shared infrastructure for performance and interoperability evaluations.

The SENTRY installation is part of Sandia’s objective of developing weapons of mass destruction sensor integration and information management architecture for sensor data collection; decision support and alerting systems; and consequence management tools and procedures. Sandia is undertaking this effort to evaluate and further develop chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection systems for the Department of Defense. In return, ENSCO’s SENTRY system will be discussed and demonstrated for military and industry personnel at the operational Sandia location. The installation will provide additional visibility with the various stakeholders involved in military installation CBRN protection, as well as the broader force protection and Homeland Security community.

Fundamentally, SENTRY’s patented data integration methodology bridges the gap between sensor data and actionable information by automating sensor alarms and presenting the user relevant information through an understandable user interface. Using all available sensor evidence, SENTRY provides operators with a rapid interpretation of an incident. This comprehensive use of data exploits the synergistic response from multiple sensors, more accurately and reliably projecting CBRN situation awareness, and increases detection confidence with reduced system-level false alarms.

SENTRY automatically executes dispersion and predictive source-term models, based on current local meteorological conditions, giving the operator an instantaneous view of the situation, in addition to providing decision aides and response mechanisms that are consistent with installation operational policies and procedures. These mechanisms include sounding alarms and notifications, communicating evacuation plans, locking down the facility, and initiating collective protection strategies to minimize the time between sensor detection and response, thus saving lives.

SENTRY is currently in operation at several U.S. Government facilities concerned with CBRN threats. “What distinguishes SENTRY in the security marketplace is that we are communicating directly to the sensors—doing the sensor integration, event characterization, and assisting the operator in response,” said Steve Streetman, SENTRY project manager for ENSCO. “That is the piece that other emergency response systems are missing.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $100 million, 800-person privately-owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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About Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness. For additional information, visit Sandia’s Web site at www.sandia.gov.

ENSCO and BroadWare Partner for Integrated Network Video, Multi-Sensor Surveillance Systems

04 Oct 2004 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va./Cupertino, Calf., October 4, 2004 – ENSCO, Inc. and BroadWare Technologies, Inc. today announced a partnership to cooperate in product integration and joint marketing.

Under the agreement, ENSCO will integrate BroadWare Media Server™ technology, for management and distribution of video surveillance data in network environments, into its SENTRY™ chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) Early Warning and Decision Support System.

The jointly integrated products offer a comprehensive multi-sensor surveillance system in which live video from BroadWare’s platform supports CBRN analysis, automated alerting and decision support capabilities provided by SENTRY.

“This is a natural partnership leveraging the core strengths of our network video technology and ENSCO’s innovative multi-sensor integration technology,” said Bill Stuntz, CEO of BroadWare Technologies, Inc. “This agreement helps systems integrators more easily roll out the comprehensive and integrated security solutions that their customers demand.”

SENTRY, currently in operation at several U.S. Government facilities, automates alarms from CBRN sensors and provides the user with rapid interpretation of an incident through an understandable interface. In the event of an alarm, SENTRY executes dispersion and predictive source-term models, based on current local meteorological conditions, and provides decision support and response mechanisms that are consistent with site policy.

These mechanisms include sounding alarms and notifications, communicating evacuation plans, locking down the facility, and initiating collective protection strategies to minimize the time between sensor detection and response. Together with local and remote access to real-time video, from any network camera, the user has a multifunctional tool to assess situations and respond correctly in order to save lives.

“SENTRY communicates directly with CBRN sensors to provide the user with real-time analysis of conditions in an easy to use interface,” said Steve Streetman, SENTRY project manager for ENSCO. “The addition of BroadWare’s network video technology for visual inspection provides an additional layer of intelligence, and provides users with a higher level of situational awareness.”

BroadWare and ENSCO are currently working on several joint projects for undisclosed customers. The two companies are cooperating in marketing the integrated solution to systems integrators serving the homeland defense, military and industrial markets.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $100 million, 800-person privately-owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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About BroadWare Technologies, Inc.

BroadWare Technologies is the industry pioneer in enabling distribution, viewing, storage, and management of real-time video in a networked environment. BroadWare Media Server provides a highly scalable server platform for deploying distributed video surveillance systems for defense, homeland security, transportation and law enforcement applications. Partners include Boeing, EMC, and Northrop Grumman. Customers include Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq, NASA, Siemens Corp., Delaware Department of Transportation and multiple U.S. government agencies and military branches. For more information, visit BroadWare Technologies.

ENSCO Announces Expansion of Information Technology Business

21 Oct 2004 12:00:00 EST

Endicott, N.Y./Syracuse, N.Y., October 21, 2004 – ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, announced today the expansion of the company's Information Technology (IT) business, based out of Endicott, N.Y. David Oddy, the president and founder of Syracuse-based Odyssey Solutions Group and Odyssey Software, has joined ENSCO to lead this expansion and to facilitate the integration of Odyssey’s service suite with ENSCO’s IT offerings.

An increased demand for ENSCO’s solutions for custom sales automation tools, e-procurement, security assessments, and data management have had the most recent influence on the company’s IT business growth in New York. “Odyssey Solutions Group and Odyssey Software are an excellent addition to ENSCO,” said ENSCO Vice President Neil Fifield, manager of the company’s New York operations. “These new capabilities will enhance the offerings our New York-based IT consulting practice provides to new and existing customers.”

ENSCO is currently the largest software engineering firm in Central New York, where their operations were founded in 1983 and the company now employs 350 engineers, software developers and high-tech professionals. Divisional programs include software development work for large multi-national customers in the fields of avionics and process controls, as well as a solid base of IT business for both government and commercial customers.

Odyssey Solutions Group and Odyssey Software have been providing premier software development and IT consulting services to the Central New York region for the past eight years, focused on providing IT solutions that include a unique blend of technology and consultative expertise.

“Joining the ENSCO team will give us tremendous advantages in terms of the services we can offer to our clients,” Oddy said. “We are excited about the geographic reach and technical skill diversity that ENSCO commands and look forward to working together.”

For more information regarding ENSCO’s New York-based IT business, contact Neil Fifield in Endicott at (607) 741-6322 or Fifield.Neil@ensco.com; or David Oddy in Syracuse at (315) 753-0087 or Oddy.David@ensco.com.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $100 million, 800-person privately-owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Endicott, N.Y., Springfield, Va., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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About Odyssey Solutions Group, LLC

Odyssey Solutions Group helps companies strategically use business-focused Information Technology to achieve their organizational objectives. Odyssey Solutions Group was formed with the purpose of providing software development and Information Technology services to the business, government and educational communities. Since our inception in 1996, we have built our team through an investment in technical excellence and a thorough understanding of Information Technology operations and the software development process. For additional information, visit Odyssey Solutions Group.

System Provides Professionals Solution to Increase Safety, Reduce Cost and Lessen Weather Impacts to Critical Operations

01 Nov 2004 12:00:00 EST

Cocoa Beach, Fla./Falls Church, Va., November 1, 2004 – ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, introduced its latest weather solution, MetWise™, today at the Air Traffic Control Association's (ATCA) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The system will be demonstrated in ENSCO’s booth (#2208) today through Weds. Nov. 3 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

MetWise can be used to visualize all types of meteorological information, including visibility, cloud cover, lightning, wind, and upper air measurements, fromsources worldwide. MetWise is designed to fuse weather information from disparate sources to produce stable, repeatable and reliable decision products for meteorologists, dispatchers and traffic flow managers.

All displays and functions are user-configurable. Data can be displayed in multiple layers, vertical cross-sections and grids to analyze data in both space and time simultaneously, for any location or along any flight path. Industry standard off-the-shelf PC-type workstations and servers can easily be scaled to meet single user or high demand operations.

Currently, MetWise is being tailored for the needs of the air traffic control and commercial airline communities. ENSCO has been showcasing the system to weather forecasters, Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic control professionals throughout its development in order to integrate the most needed features into the new system and position the product for immediate acceptance into this market.

MetWise is the most recent of ENSCO’s weather modeling and decision support products, using ENSCO’s Extreme Forecasting® processes of data fusion, analysis and forecast modeling. The product will initially be offered to the aviation community, with plans for future versions tailored to other areas of transportation (including highway, rail and marine), as well as emergency response and additional markets.

ENSCO develops real-time and analytical weather systems that ingest meteorological sensor data and use advanced analytical models and techniques to provide meteorological event and hazard information to increase safety, reduce cost and lessen weather impacts to critical operations.

Government and commercial ENSCO weather solutions customers include:

Air Force Space Command
Air Force Technical Applications Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems
Kennedy Space Center
NASA
National Weather Service

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $100 million, 800-person privately-owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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Team ENSCO Passes First Evaluation for 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge

22 Apr 2005 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., April 22, 2005 — From a pool of 195 applicants, Team ENSCO is one of 118 teams selected from the first stage evaluation, which included a video submitted by each team showing the capabilities of their vehicles.

As with the inaugural event held in March 2004, autonomous vehicles will attempt to navigate a challenging course of varying terrain through the desert. The team that first completes the Grand Challenge 2005 route within a specified time will receive a cash prize of $2 million, an increase from the $1 million prize offered at the 2004 event.

In the first DARPA Grand Challenge, held on a desert route from California to Nevada, Team ENSCO was one of only 15 teams from a field of 106 applicants that progressed to the final event. DARPA anticipates even greater participation in Grand Challenge 2005.

As with the first Challenge, all teams including Team ENSCO will go through several DARPA specified qualifications to be eligible to compete in the challenge. This year’s qualifications include multiple evaluation and qualification events. From a pool of 195 applicants, Team ENSCO is one of 137 teams selected from the first stage evaluation, which included a video submitted by each team showing the capabilities of their vehicles. In May, DARPA Officials will visit the team’s testing sites to evaluate vehicle’s navigation skills and obstacle avoidance. Additionally, teams will be required to submit a technical paper during the summer. Only 40 teams will be allowed into the Qualification Event in September and of those, only 20 teams will actually qualify for the race.

Team ENSCO

Team ENSCO is a volunteer group of some of ENSCO’s brightest researchers and engineers They are joined by students from Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology. One team members is from Georgetown University Physics Laboratory four others have a personal interest in working on the project.

Companies that have donated equipment and software to the project include National Instruments, MathWorks, Expert Choice, Inc., SICK, Vicor, Whelen Engineering and Optima Batteries.

Federal Railroad Administration Selects ENSCO to Build Next Generation Track Inspection Vehicles

23 May 2005 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., May 23, 2005 — ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, announced today that it has been awarded a $9 million contract from the Federal Railroad Administration to design, engineer and test two vehicles for the Federal Railroad Administration's Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP).

ENSCO is one of the premier providers of rail safety technologies; the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has selected ENSCO and its suite of interconnected products and services for several decades. ENSCO is proud to provide safety assurance and operational efficiency for rail throughout the United States.

This specific contract follows the 2001 award by the FRA Office of Safety to build the FRA T2000, a self-propelled and fully automated track inspection vehicle. In 2003, FRA contracted ENSCO to refurbish an Amtrak Coach vehicle which became the R&D high speed vehicle, FRA T16, which brought advanced monitoring technologies to rail safety. Since their installation, these vehicles have traveled thousands of miles and collected an enormous amount of data for the FRA.

The contract awarded is to build two highly customized vehicles which would employ ENSCO’s latest rail safety innovations.

“We feel tremendously honored to have been selected by the FRA to build two more track inspection vehicles. We take great pride in this line of work, our company has been providing rail safety technologies for over 30 years,” said Kevin Kesler, ENSCO’s Deputy Division Manager and director of rail programs. “Our next two cars will incorporate not only the previous innovations seen in the T2000, T16 and T-18, but all of our new technologies as well.”

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $90 million, 750-person privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
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Team ENSCO Advances to Next Round of DARPA Grand Challenge

13 Jun 2005 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., June 13, 2005 — ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced that it has been selected as a semifinalist in the second annual Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge. The Grand Challenge, an autonomous ground vehicle event, covers 150 miles of rugged, varied terrain across the Mojave Desert.

Team ENSCO was among 40 teams selected from a field of 118 teams. This will be the second year that Team ENSCO competes in this unique event. Last year’s vehicle, DAVID, competed in the final round, successfully navigated a portion of the course, and finished in eighth place.

“We are proud to be a part of the 2005 challenge,” said Team ENSCO Leader, Gary Carr. “Our team has made significant improvements from last year’s technology. This year we’re seasoned and ready to compete.”

For the 2005 Challenge, Team ENSCO will be competing with a completely new and extremely agile vehicle which is appropriately named DEXTER. DEXTER is a custom-made desert racer specifically built by Lothringer Engineering and designed by ENSCO’s experts. With a lightweight chassis, long suspensions and hydraulic steering, the new vehicle skillfully accomplishes the highly complex tasks of autonomous robotics.

DEXTER, a Deployable EXtreme Terrain Enabled Robot, is the name for Team ENSCO’s new autonomous ground vehicle. Team ENSCO chose DEXTER because it is derived from dexterous, meaning having mental skill or adroitness, and dexterity, meaning readiness and grace in physical activity.

“Technically, this project is about autonomous navigation, capturing and representing the dimensions of the world in a computer, and planning a navigable path to successfully reach an objective,” explained Mr. Carr. “Our goal was to develop a vehicle that was quick, agile and stable. DEXTER embodies these characteristics.”

DEXTER has been designed to travel autonomously more than 175 miles at speeds of 35 mph. DEXTER’s system architecture allows for sensors interchangeability and high speed operation using six high-speed computers for obstacle detection with path planning and two real-time computers for vehicle control and guidance. And, most importantly, DEXTER’s navigation uses Dual High Precision Differential GPS with complimentary inertial systems, dead reckoning, and local object references.

ENSCO’s autonomous ground vehicle technology is a complex technology involving sophisticated systems integration of sensors, lasers, LIDAR, stereo cameras and software. ENSCO experts have uniquely linked all these technologies together to perform effectively and efficiently in rugged environments under all conditions. Leading up to the next semifinalist competition, our vehicle will be tested in not only desert conditions, but snow, rain and mountainous terrain as well.

About Team ENSCO

Team ENSCO is a volunteer group of ENSCO’s brightest researchers and engineers. They are joined by friends of ENSCO employees and students from Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology. ENSCO has placed special emphasis on the learning aspects of its participation, focusing on team building, encouraging entrepreneurialism and working on a world-class problem of significant value to our nation.

Companies that have donated equipment and software to the project include National Instruments, MathWorks, Expert Choice, Inc., SICK, Vicor, Whelen Engineering, OminStar and Optima Batteries.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $100 million, 800-person privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China.
More about ENSCO

ENSCO Announces Promotions for Applied Technology Engineering Division

18 Aug 2005 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., August 18, 2005 -- ENSCO, Inc, today announced the promotions of several senior members of the company’s Applied Technology & Engineering (ATE) Division. Ta-Lun Yang, Kevin Kesler, Boris Nejikovsky and Susan Cook were recognized for their significant contributions, which have helped ENSCO to become one of the premier providers of safety and security to the Federal Railroad Administration and the railroad industry.

Dr. Ta-Lun Yang has been promoted to Vice President of the new International Technology Applications Division. Dr. Yang has been Vice President and Division Manager of ATE for the past 12 years and has been a substantial contributor to ENSCO’s rail engineering business for more than 33 years. He was instrumental in establishing ENSCO’s international rail business in the 1970s and continues to be the lead in sustaining and growing ATE’s international business.

Kevin Kesler, Deputy Division Manager of ATE, was chosen to succeed Ta-Lun as Division Manager. Kevin has been the Deputy Division Manager of ATE for the past 12 years and has been with ENSCO for 30 years. Kevin has been a substantial contributor to ENSCO’s rail engineering programs and business with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and commercial customers during his career.

Boris Nejikovsky and Susan Cook have been promoted to Deputy Division Managers of ATE. Boris will also continue as Chief Engineer of the ATE Division.

Susan has been the Program Manager for ATE’s Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP) for more than three years and has been associated with ATIP since the beginning of her ENSCO career, 30 years ago. In addition to Program Manager for ATIP, Susan is also directing ENSCO’s efforts on the recently awarded G-Car contract to build two new geometry cars for the FRA.

Boris has been the Chief Engineer for ATE for six years and has been with ENSCO for more than 12 years. In recent years, Boris has been directing ATE technology development efforts overseeing mechanical, electrical, and software engineering groups. Boris helped to introduce a number of new innovative technologies and products including remote, autonomous and video inspection systems and Internet-based data management tools.

“We’re proud to be a supplier to the railroad industry around the world. Our team has been providing engineering and technology support to the FRA for more than three decades. Ta-Lun, Kevin, Boris and Susan—all of these individuals have been significant contributors to ENSCO's business and ENSCO’s success in this industry,” said ENSCO CEO, Paul Broome III.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $90-million, 750-person privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the United States and in Beijing, China. For additional information, visit ENSCO, Inc.'s Web site at www.ensco.com.
More about ENSCO

MicroSearch® Human Presence Detection System Active In International Markets

01 Sep 2005 12:00:00 EST

ENSCO's MicroSearch® human presence detection system is in wide use in countries in the European Union, including Germany, Scotland, Spain and the United Kingdom. ENSCO is in the process of closing a large new contract in an eastern European country that recently joined the EU.

The MicroSearch system is a fully integrated, unobtrusive search system that determines whether human beings are present, i.e., hiding, in vehicles or cargo containers loaded on vehicles. Using advanced sensor systems and signal processing techniques, the human presence detection system detects minute movements that are transmitted to a vehicle or container by the human heartbeat, alerting the system operator to conduct a search. Prisons, border crossings, seaports and high value facilities, such as embassies, are the prime beneficiaries of the MicroSearch human presence detection system.

The Spanish Civil Guard recently purchased and deployed 10 MicroSearch human detection systems to provide port security in the south of Spain, primarily to detect illegal immigrants from North Africa who stowaway in shipping containers and trucks departing the major ports.

MicroSearch has been added to the federal General Services Administration’s (GSA) Law Enforcement schedule, providing more convenient access for federal customers.

Team ENSCO Advances To Final Round in DARPA Grand Challenge

01 Oct 2005 12:00:00 EST

Team ENSCO was among 23 teams selected from 40 teams. This will be the second year that Team ENSCO competes in this unique event. The event will be held near Primm, Nevada, on Saturday, October 8. Last year’s vehicle, DAVID, competed in the final round, successfully navigated a portion of the course, and finished in eighth place.

To follow the race on-line, go to www.grandchallenge.org and click on Status Board.

Team ENSCO's DEXTER Qualifies for 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge

05 Oct 2005 12:00:00 EST

Fontana, Calif., October 5, 2005 – DARPA announced 23 competitors to advance to the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge on Oct. 8 to be held near Primm, Nev. The ENSCO team is excited and ready to compete.

DARPA congratulated all the teams, calling them all winners.

ENSCO's DEXTER placed sixth out of the 23 robotic vehicles competing in the final run of DARPA Grand Challenge.

10 Oct 2005 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., October 10, 2005 – ENSCO’s DEXTER placed sixth out of the 23 robotic vehicles competing in the final run of the DARPA Grand Challenge. DARPA officials announce Stanford University as the winner.

After five hours of traversing almost more than 81 miles autonomously, averaging just under 20 mph, DEXTER’s solid performance on the Challenge course was forced to end. DARPA officials in a “chase” vehicle stopped DEXTER due to a flat tire.

Up until this point in the course, DEXTER provided loads of excitement. The tenth to start the timed course, DEXTER quickly passed five vehicles, which started earlier, then a sixth, and was quickly catching up to the three leading teams. Team ENSCO is especially proud of the fact that DEXTER averaged the fastest speed up to the time of its forced elimination. With an average speed of just above 19 mph, DEXTER was on track to take the lead.

The chase vehicle officials reported that following DEXTER was thrilling. DEXTER knew exactly where to go, and possibly reached speeds of approximately 40 mph, making it challenging for their vehicle to keep close. After DEXTER exited the last tunnel, the chase officials believed that DEXTER started to exhibit some unusual behaviors and then suffered the flat tire. Team members are investigating to see what might of happened.

President Greg Young shared, “We are enormously proud of Team ENSCO. We may not have won the Challenge, but the rewards we have won are far greater. There is enormous value in the extensive knowledge each team member has gained in autonomous vehicle technology as well as in the importance of team work.” Team ENSCO member James Whong added, “This has truly been an adventure. I am honored to be a part of this historical event.”

DARPA officials, other teams, the press, and spectators complimented Team ENSCO on their friendliness, professionalism, openness, and upbeat attitude.

Visit www.teamensco.com for more information.

LDRA and ENSCO, Inc. Announce Worldwide Partnership

09 Nov 2005 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., and Monks Ferry, Wirral, UK, November 9, 2005 — LDRA, the world’s leader in automated source code analysis and testing tools has today announced a worldwide partnership with ENSCO, Inc., the premier supplier of safety/mission-critical avionics software engineering solutions.

ENSCO has been providing software unit (module) testing services for more than 15 years and has more than 500,000 hours of unit test experience spread across a number of safety-critical avionics systems, including flight controls, engine controls, actuation controls, power controls and cockpit instrumentation.

During the past two years LDRA and ENSCO have worked together on a series of major avionics projects for leading multi-national companies including Lockheed Martin, Kaiser Electronics, Rockwell Collins and Hamilton Sundstrand. One of these key project collaborations has seen the two companies teaming together to test the complex embedded software for the cockpit display system on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.

Frank Zurla, ENSCO’s Director of Avionics operations, commented, “ENSCO’s experience with the LDRA tool suite and in particular LDRA’s TBrun unit testing tool has shown a significant improvement in performance and cost associated with software unit testing. ENSCO have experienced double or greater improvement per hour over other tools, resulting in as much as a 30 to 40 percent reduction in overall project costs.

SInce many new customers have approached ENSCO for software unit testing services and since ENSCO has experienced performance improvements that the company has experienced with TBrun, ENSCO plans to apply TBrun to all new efforts.”

“Our experience over the past 30 years in providing automated software development and testing tools, as well as test solutions for a wide variety of market sectors brings strength to our partnership,” said Ian Hennell, LDRA’s Operations Director. “By providing tools to assist with RTCA/DO-178B (through Level A) as well as other standards across multiple avionics platforms and technologies we will continue to develop our reputation as a market leader in providing testing tools for the development and verification of complex avionics systems.”

The LDRA Group of companies is based around LDRA Ltd. which, founded in 1975, is the world's longest established provider of automated source code analysis and testing tools. LDRA is the market leader in providing automated software development and testing tools, as well as test solutions for a wide variety of market sectors. LDRA’s products and services are at the leading edge of software testing technology and many ground-breaking testing techniques have been derived from methodologies developed by the company. Through the deployment of LDRA’s tools, customers are able to deliver well constructed, documented and tested software and, in addition, benefit from significant time, cost and operational savings for their business.

LDRA has a long-standing track record for the provision of test tools and test solutions to the defence and avionics industries and is currently the preferred supplier to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and partners for the JSF programme. In addition to the JSF programme, LDRA tools are also currently in use on many other large-scale avionics programmes including Eurofighter Typhoon, Nimrod 2000, Eurojet, Tornado MLU, C-17 Globemaster, F/A-22 Raptor and C-5 Galaxy RERP. For full details on LDRA visit the company’s Web site at www.ldra.com.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne and Cocoa Beach Fla., and field offices around the world.
More about ENSCO

ENSCO’s specific aerospace expertise includes Full lifecycle software development and systems integration; DO-178B, DO-254, and MIL-STD expertise; Software testing, verification, and validation; Civil Certification / FAA DER support; Process analysis & consulting; DO-178B & DO-254 Training services; and Integration & test-rig development. Core avionics technologies and systems supported include: Real-time embedded applications; Graphics, displays, & simulation; Flight & engine control systems; Power, actuation, & mechanical systems; and Navigation & communication systems. For additional information, visit ENSCO's avionics solutions group.

ENSCO, Inc. Announces RTCA DO-254 Support

09 Nov 2005 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., November 9, 2005 — ENSCO, Inc., the premier supplier of safety- and mission-critical avionics software engineering solutions announced today its entry into the RTCA DO-254 Services marketplace. ENSCO has been providing RTCA DO-178B Development, Test, Integration, Verification and Certification Services for more than 15 years. ENSCO’s expertise spreads across a number of avionics systems including flight controls, engine controls, actuation controls, power controls and cockpit instrumentation.

Since January 2005, ENSCO has been working on several Civil Certification programs that require RTCA DO-254 certification for complex programmable hardware. These programs include major avionics suppliers for leading multi-national companies such as Raytheon, ITT, MOOG, Honeywell, and Sandel. All of these key projects include support for RTCA DO-254 that varies from Certification Consultation, FAA DER involvement, Training Services, Development, and Verification activities.

“ENSCO’s RTCA DO-254 experience is growing at a phenomenal rate,” said Jay Ficarro, ENSCO’s Avionics Solutions Director. “ENSCO is pleased to see growth for RTCA DO-254 support and we are properly positioned to support the commercial avionics industry in this emerging area.”

ENSCO is applying its extensive RTCA DO-178B experience to RTCA DO-254 (through level A) hardware services.

“Our 20-year history of providing automated software development and testing tools, as well as test solutions for a wide variety of market sectors brings strength to our RTCA DO-254 Services,” said Tom Matarese, ENSCO’s Business Development Manager. “ By providing experience to assist with RTCA DO-254 activities across multiple avionics certification programs, we continue to develop our reputation as a market leader in the development and verification of complex avionics systems.”

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, aerospace and intelligent automation industries. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Fla., and field offices around the world. More about ENSCO

ENSCO’s specific aerospace expertise includes DO-178B, DO-254, & MIL-STD Development, Test, Integration, Verification & Certification Services; Process Analysis & Consulting; DO-178B & DO-254 Training Services; and Integration & Test-Rig Development.

For more information, please visit ENSCO's avionics solutions group.

ENSCO, Inc. Awarded Contract to Support Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter Program

05 Jan 2006 12:00:00 EST

Endicott, N.Y., January 5, 2006 — ENSCO Inc., the premier supplier of safety- and mission-critical avionics software engineering solutions, today announced the award of a major new contract from Lockheed Martin of Fort Worth, Texas, to support software testing on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. The contract is valued at $3.4 million and will run until March of 2006. In addition to this initial award, ENSCO anticipates the opportunity for follow-on support for this major military program. ENSCO’s outstanding reputation, expertise in formal software verification and our extensive knowledge of LDRA’s test tool suite enabled ENSCO to receive this award. LDRA, a market leader in providing automated software source code analysis and testing tools, is an ENSCO Technology Partner.

In support of this and other ongoing contracts, the division has added 30 software engineers over the past two months. The total project staff size will exceed 48, with hired staff including a blend of senior level, mid level and many entry level engineers. In addition, a number of local Binghamton University, Rochester Institute of Technology and Broome Community College students have been hired to support ENSCO’s continued Avionics Solutions expansion.

Mr. Jay Ficarro, ENSCO’s Director of Avionics Solutions, and Mr. Frank A. Zurla III, Director of Avionics Operations, successfully completed testing on the Phase I efforts of this program which led to winning this contract with Lockheed Martin. This award is an important win as we continue to achieve significant expansion of our Avionics Solutions business area.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, and aerospace industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $100 million, 850-person, privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne, Fla. and Cocoa Beach, Fla.; field offices throughout the United States; and sales agent offices in China, Israel, the United Kingdom and throughout central and eastern Europe.

ENSCO’s specific aerospace expertise includes DO-178B, DO-254, & MIL-STD Development, Software Unit Test Services, Integration, Verification & Certification Services; Process Analysis & Consulting; DO-178B & DO-254 Training Services; and Integration & Test-Rig Development.

ENSCO Wins Major Weather Contract to Provide Global Weather Support to United Airlines

13 Feb 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., February 13, 2006 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced it signed a five year contract to provide all weather support for United Airlines. ENSCO’s Aerospace Sciences and Engineering (ASE) Division located in Cocoa Beach, Fla., is responsible for the contract win.

“Working with one of the world’s largest commercial airlines is both an honor and an exciting opportunity for ENSCO. This win builds on our other meteorology business such as the NASA Applied Meteorology Unit and our efforts on the National Weather Service Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) program,” said Kevin Pruett, ASE Division Manager.

ENSCO will be hiring several meteorologists that are currently employed by United. Many will be based in Chicago at United’s headquarters and will work alongside the airline’s flight dispatchers and other operations personnel. In addition to the Chicago contingent, several meteorologists in Cocoa Beach will also focus their expertise on United’s operations.

ENSCO’s systems analysts are developing a Web page for United’s pilots and flight dispatchers. The Web page will contain scores of weather products tailored specifically to United’s operation and route structure. In addition to the Web site, ENSCO engineers will install a satellite receiver and the MetWise weather system at United’s headquarters. MetWise will be used by meteorologists in both locations to support their weather forecasting and service for United.

“Building ENSCO’s weather business is a very important goal for us. Our corporate decision to be a weather solutions provider for United Airlines stems largely from ENSCO’s corporate strategy to expand our expert offerings into commercial areas,” said ENSCO CEO, Paul Broome.

About ENSCO, Inc

ENSCO Awarded Subcontract as Part of National Weather Service Contract Team

13 Feb 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., February 13, 2006 — ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, is a member of a team that has been awarded the contract with the National Weather Service (NWS) for operations, maintenance and evolution of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS). The total contract is estimated to be approximately $300 million over 10 years if all the options are exercised. Under the terms of the subcontract, ENSCO will participate in all phases of the contract providing help desk services, software integration and test services as well as continuous product improvement.

AWIPS is a critical technology tool for the National Weather Service; it is the heart of NWS warning system which alerts the population to life-threatening and time-sensitive weather events like tornadoes, severe weather and flash floods. AWIPS provides an extensible architecture to allow for highly available data communications, processing, and meteorological and hydrologic display capabilities in an integrated environment. It supports the NWS operational mission by providing a very efficient and effective means for forecasters to prepare and issue timely, accurate forecasts and warnings.

Leading the effort is Raytheon Information Solutions (RIS), a division of the Raytheon Company, based in Reston, Va. RIS delivers customer-focused industry best practices and best-of-breed IT solutions that enable federal agency mission objectives.

“ENSCO is extremely proud to be a part of this team. Our meteorologists and software developers will bring extensive weather and technology expertise to this project,” said Tim Wilfong, ENSCO’s principal meteorologist for the effort. “ENSCO has deep roots in the weather community and our team is focused on successfully delivering the critical requirements.”

As evidence of ENSCO’s in-depth knowledge and understanding of the weather community, ENSCO recently unveiled its MetWise product line, which is a comprehensive weather visualization and decision assistance tool for professionals. ENSCO’s MetWise was designed by meteorologists for meteorologists and this has resulted in a unique system with intuitive graphical interface, easy-to-use menus and highly customizable data fields.

ENSCO will apply its legacy of innovation and technology to this critical NWS project. “We are committed to leveraging our extensive meteorological heritage to build the best system for NWS and providing the highest level of support to Raytheon and our other team members,” said Kevin Pruett, Division Manager of ENSCO’s Aerospace Sciences and Engineering Division which will be supporting the Raytheon led team.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Develops Joint Bar Inspection System to Aid in Identifying Cracks in Rail Joint Bars

20 Feb 2006 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., February 20, 2006 – In response to concerns resulting from joint bar failures that caused serious railroad caused accidents, the 109th U.S. Congress directed the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue new regulations requiring each rail track owner to conduct an accurate inventory and improve the inspection and maintenance of rail joint bars in continuous welded rail (CWR) track and to provide copies of the inspection reports to the FRA for review.

Presently, joint bars are inspected by railroad maintenance personnel on foot. These methods are slow, labor intensive and often unreliable.

Working with the FRA’s Office of Research and Development, ENSCO developed a fully automated joint bar inspection system that can be used on both CWR and conventional jointed rail and will help railroads meet the new inspection standards. The system is designed to inspect, analyze and report on the joint bars on both the field and gage sides of both rails to a maximum of 50 mph.

The joint bar inspection system uses high-speed cameras to detect and report visible cracks and their locations in joint bars and downloads the information to two computers—an image acquisition and analysis computer, and a laptop that is mounted in a Hi-Railer.

The image acquisition and analysis computer captures and analyses images of joint bars and determines the location of suspected cracks. When a crack is suspected, this computer sends a message and a corresponding image to the laptop computer. The laptop sounds a buzzer and presents the visual image of the suspected crack to the inspector in the Hi-Railer. The laptop also provides image storage and inspection reports.

A Global Positioning System (GPS) is included to apply a latitude and longitude position stamp to every image acquired. This enables maintenance personnel to locate the joint bars with suspected cracks and to produce a complete inventory of all joint bars by location.

The system can be installed on a rail car or a Hi-Rail vehicle. For a Hi-Rail installation, the high-speed cameras and lights are mounted on a frame on the rear bumper, which can be folded inward when the vehicle is traveling on the road. The image acquisition and analysis computer and the laptop are located inside the vehicle.

ENSCO’s joint bar inspection system for rail is fully functional and has been proven in successful field tests on Class One railroads. Using the joint bar inspection system on CWR track will result in more rapid identification of joint bar flaws and thus significantly aid in reducing derailments.

For more information, contact Boris Nejikovsky at 703-321-4559 or Ta-Lun Yang at 703-321-4702.

ENSCO Designs Rail Emergency Evacuation Simulator

01 Mar 2006 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., March 1, 2006 – ENSCO designed and installed a Rail Emergency Evacuation Simulator that can roll 180 degrees in 10-degree increments at the Carmen E. Turner Training and Maintenance Facility in Landover, Md., March 20. Also called the Rollover Rig, the simulator was built for the Federal Railroad Administration and will be maintained by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, D.C. The simulator is the first of its kind in the United States. One other is located in the United Kingdom.

The passenger railcar based system will be used to train first responders for derailments or other rail accidents. Donated by the New Jersey Transit system, the passenger car arrived at the site with its seating, interior and safety systems intact.

Three steel custom-made hoops encircle the railcar and allow it to be rolled. To accommodate the limited space requirements of the site, the railcar is designed to roll in place, versus rolling to the side. A system of pulleys and specially designed polyurethane rollers allow the railcar to roll and lock in place in 10-degree increments.
Grooves in the base of the simulator accommodate the rolling hoops that encapsulate the railcar. The roll is controlled by a cable system embedded in the ground and connected to a custom push-pull winch. The combination of the bidirectional cable system and safety locking pins provide a safe environment for emergency responders to practice both internal and external evacuation of the railcar.

More than 2,500 police, fire and first responders are trained each year at the Emergency Response Training Center in Landover for response to train disaster scenarios, involving smoke, fire, collisions and bomb blast. The simulator adds a very real dimension where police and firefighters will be challenged to rescue passengers from a railcar on its side and experience the difficulty of gaining entrance and moving in a non-upright rail vehicle.

“This state-of-the-art simulator is ENSCO’s latest initiative to support the railroad community in their efforts to maintain safe and secure railroads,” said Chief Mechanical Engineer Jeff Bloom. “Using ENSCO’s sophisticated modeling, design and engineering capabilities, we delivered a reliable, high-performance practice tool that will enable first responders nationwide to receive the real-life training vital to emergency preparedness.”

ENSCO, Inc. Opens New Location and Facility in Southcentral Pennsylvania

22 Mar 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., March 22, 2006 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced the opening of a new rail maintenance facility and offices in Southcentral Pennsylvania. "ENSCO is pleased to expand to Southcentral Pennsylvania," said ENSCO CEO, Paul Broome. "This is the right fit for our technology-driven firm."

“Rail is an essential part of our nation's transportation infrastructure. The development of advanced rail technology increases safety while reducing congestion and fuel consumption,” said Congressman Platts. “I’m pleased to help welcome ENSCO to Adams County.”

ENSCO’s new facilities will serve East Coast rail customers including the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, Long Island Railroad, Norfolk Southern and CSX. ENSCO is a leading provider of advanced railcar technologies and systems.

Not only does ENSCO’s rail group plan to perform major maintenance and upgrades on test cars at this facility, it also plans to utilize the 25 miles of test track available through Gettysburg and Northern Railroad. “This test track will provide ENSCO with a ‘test-bed’ for its new technology,” said Mr. Kesler. ENSCO follows and aggressively supports the FRA’s desire under our Research and Development contract to incorporate new technology into maintaining safe tracks.

About ENSCO’s Rail Transportation Group

For more than 30 years, ENSCO’s team of engineers has been leading the rail industry in developing new, advanced technologies for transportation. ENSCO systems help customers improve the quality of their operations while making travel safer. ENSCO is committed to continued research and development, Web-based data management systems, exceptional railroad track inspection systems, large-scale systems integration and other new products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection and asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

Metro, FRA and ENSCO Unveil the Nation's First Emergency Evacuation Simulator

02 May 2006 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., May 2, 2006 – Safely evacuating passengers from a commuter train that has toppled on its side will be easier for first responders now that a new device that rotates a train upside down has been developed.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro), along with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and ENSCO, Inc., today unveiled the nation’s first passenger rail emergency evacuation simulator in Landover, Md.

The emergency evacuation simulator is a passenger rail commuter car designed to roll 180 degrees in 10-degree increments, simulating railcar positions after derailments or other rail incidents. The device can roll a train upside down in 2 1/2 minutes.

“This new emergency simulator or “rollover rig” greatly enhances Metro’s Emergency Response Training Facility, which opened four years ago today,” said Dan Tangherlini Metro’s Interim General Manager. “Our training tunnel enables us to train first responders on how to rescue people from burning, smoking trains in a transit tunnel. Now we will be able train them on how to rescue passengers from a train that has rolled over.”

The emergency evacuation simulator will assist the FRA in evaluating interior design safety of intercity and commuter passenger rail cars. Metro will use it to train fire, police, and other first responders on the complications associated with an intercity or passenger rail car that has rolled over on its side or even upside down.

“Enhancing railcar interiors and their layouts for the purpose of making evacuations easier during emergency situations is a priority at the FRA,” said Joe Boardman, FRA Administrator. “The emergency evacuation simulator will aid in our research efforts, and minimize the level of injury to intercity and commuter rail passengers.”

Metro agreed to maintain the simulator and to provide training for emergency responders from around the country, the same as it does in the adjacent Metro training tunnel. To date, Metro’s emergency management team has trained more than 8,000 federal, state, and local emergency personnel using this unique facility.

“This state-of-the-art emergency evacuation simulator is our latest initiative to support the passenger rail community in its efforts to maintain a safe and secure intercity and commuter rail travel,” said Kevin Kesler, Rail Division Manager for ENSCO, Inc., which designed the “rollover rig.”

Metro shares 33 miles of common corridor, right-of-way with the Virginia Railway Express, MARC, and Amtrak, and the emergency evacuation simulator to Metro’s Emergency Response Training Facility will better prepare the region’s first responders for various emergency incidents near Metro’s right-of-way.

“The combination of the emergency training tunnel and the emergency evacuation simulator today makes Metro’s one the premiere emergency preparedness training centers in the county,” said Mr. Tangherlini.

ENSCO, Inc. designed and constructed the simulator; the Federal Railroad Administration provided the $450,000 necessary for the program; New Jersey Transit provided the railcar; and Metro will house the simulator and maintain the equipment at its Carmen E. Turner Maintenance and Training Facility in Landover, Md.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Expands its Innovative Systems Solutions Division to Midwest Region

13 Jun 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., and Rockford, Ill., June 13, 2006 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced its expansion into the Midwest region with the opening of a new office in Rockford, Ill. ENSCO’s Innovative Systems Solutions (ISS) Division, a leading provider of advanced avionics software solutions, has opened a new facility in Rockford and has brought its expertise and skills closer to its Rockford-based customers. ENSCO will be offering its full suite of safety-critical development and verification offerings from this new Midwest location.

“ENSCO is pleased to expand to the Midwest region. Several factors made Rockford the right location for ENSCO. Most important were the close proximity to the Chicago market and the skilled and readily available work force,” said Director of Avionics Programs, Jay Ficarro. To continue its growth trend, ENSCO looks forward to investigating new market opportunities in the regions surrounding Rockford. ENSCO’s recent growth has been driven by the development of specialized avionics software and service offerings, including civil certification DER services and DO-178B/DO-254 development and verification expertise.

ENSCO’s ISS Division’s historical strength has been in providing development, testing, integration, verification and certification services to a number of avionics software systems, including flight controls, engine controls, actuation controls, power controls and cockpit instrumentation. ENSCO recently launched its programmable hardware development and verification services and began offering RTCA DO-254 certification for programmable hardware. Since that time, ENSCO has been working on several civil certification programs for major avionics suppliers and leading multi-national companies such as Raytheon, ITT Industries, Moog, Honeywell, and Sandel Avionics.

ENSCO’s strong experience in avionics software support allows their Rockford team to be properly positioned to support the commercial avionics industry in software development and the emerging area of programmable hardware verification services. ENSCO continues to develop its reputation as a market leader in the development and verification of complex avionics systems.

About ENSCO, Inc

ENSCO Wins Contract with United Kingdom Immigration Services for MicroSearch®, Its One-of-a-Kind Human Presence Detection System

06 Sep 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., September 6, 2006 — ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced that it has been awarded a contract with the United Kingdom Home Office for one of its showcase security products, MicroSearch® Human Presence Detection System. ENSCO received a three-year framework contract from the United Kingdom’s Immigration and Nationality Directorate for deployment of MicroSearch units at ports of entry on the English Channel.

MicroSearch is a unique security detection system that identifies humans hiding in vehicles by sensing the vibrations on the vehicle’s suspension system caused by human heartbeats.

MicroSearch is ideal for security applications such as border control, cargo screening at seaports and airports, and portals/entries to any highly valued facility. It accurately and efficiently searches vehicles as well as cargo and shipping containers loaded on vehicles of any size. It detects human presence with greater accuracy and faster response time than traditional manual searches. ENSCO includes among its MicroSearch users: U.S. and U.K. prisons, the Poland Border Guard, and the Spanish Civil Guard at various seaports.

MicroSearch will be on display at the Air and Port Security Expo, September 13-14, 2006, in Brussels, Belgium.

NASA Awards ENSCO Contract to Develop and Field Test Atmospheric Probes

07 Sep 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., and Melbourne, Fla., September 7, 2006 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, announced today that their Microsystems and Nanotechnology business area has been awarded a contract from NASA to develop and field test atmospheric probes.

ENSCO’s concept, known as Global Environmental Micro Sensors (GEMS), features an ensemble of miniature balloons filled with helium to make them neutrally buoyant so they float at pre-determined altitudes. Each probe will contain electronics and sensors that measure temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure. The probes will report their positions and velocities from an onboard micro global positioning system and use one-way radio frequency communication with low-earth orbiting satellites to relay data to ground stations. ENSCO is incorporating advanced materials in the design of the GEMS shell that so the probes can remain airborne for long periods of time. This capability is critical in order for the probes to collect a large amount of data over wide portions of the atmosphere.

By leveraging current advances in nanotechnology, the mass and size as well as the manufacturing costs of GEMS, can be reduced substantially so that large numbers of probes could be deployed routinely to support NASA ground and launch operations. A full-scale operational GEMS system has the potential to increase significantly the amount of in situ weather observations leading to improvements in the accuracy of short term weather forecasts. Improving meteorological forecasts can reduce both weather hazards and weather-related scrubs for NASA, thus enhancing safety and reducing costs for the space program.

“Weather prediction today relies upon weather balloons, which are costly and do not remain in the atmosphere for great lengths of time,” said ENSCO’s Director of Advanced Technologies, John Manobianco. The GEMS probes can be mass produced and when deployed in situ, they will remain in the atmosphere collecting critical weather data and monitoring the rate at which the weather is changing. The probes can also be deployed where environmental measurements are sparse, which can help to paint a more complete meteorological picture.

The contract is a follow-on project from ENSCO’s earlier work on a multi-phase feasibility study of GEMS for the Universities Space Research Association’s NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts. The goal of the current effort, entitled GEMSTONE (GEMS Test Operations in the Natural Environment), is to build and field test a limited number of prototype probes in the atmosphere under actual flight conditions.

“We look forward to working closely with the NASA Kennedy Space Center Weather Office to design and test the system,” said Manobianco. “This is an exciting project with many applications; weather is just the beginning.”

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO to Supply Korean Air with Complete Polar Weather Support Package

11 Sep 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., September 11, 2006 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced a third major airline has signed up with ENSCO’s weather group to receive its polar weather service. ENSCO and its team of meteorologists will support and provide Korean Air (KAL) with the most current and accurate information on polar wind speed, polar air temperatures and solar radiation levels.

Today’s announcement marks a milestone for ENSCO, which has only recently arrived in the commercial airline weather space. ENSCO signed a deal to provide global and polar weather services to United Airlines and Singapore Air Lines starting in February 2006. “Three major airlines in six months is a big accomplishment, however, our corporate plan calls for continued growth,” said ENSCO’s Director of Engineering, Robert Gillen. ENSCO has been providing weather services to defense related entities, including NASA in support of the space shuttle launches, for decades. “Moving into the commercial airline space was a great strategic move for ENSCO,” further said Mr. Gillen.

Korean Air recently started flying routes over the North Pole from the United States to Asia. There are several specific issues that need to be closely monitored when flying over the poles. Air temperature is a big concern especially at 36,000 feet. If air temperatures drop below minus 65 degrees Celsius, jet fuel will begin to gel, which is inefficient and possibly dangerous. Excessive solar radiation and availability of suitable alternate landing sites are also a significant concern. ENSCO uses existing technologies and expert aviation meteorologists to provide first-rate weather information and data to aid the planning for safe and efficient routes for global travel.

“We plan a continued steady growth in weather support for commercial aviation,” said ENSCO’s Manager of Aviation Weather Business Development, Garry Hinds. “Providing the total weather support for United’s global operation has positioned ENSCO to become the premier weather provider for this segment of the market.”

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. Wins NASA Contract Renewal

27 Sep 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., and Cocoa Beach, Fla., September 27, 2006 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced it had been awarded a one-year contract renewal by NASA at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida for management of the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU). The AMU, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) has been staffed by ENSCO meteorologists since its inception in 1991. The AMU is a joint venture of NASA/KSC, the United States Air Force, and the National Weather Service.

The AMU evaluates and transitions weather technology from development to operations, specifically in support of America's space program. This technology conversion contributes to advanced weathertools for the space shuttle, military, and commercial spaceport operations.

“The AMU is a bridge between the meteorological research community and operational forecasters at the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Spaceflight Meteorology Group at Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Fla.,” said ENSCO AMU Program Manager Bill Bauman. “Our primary mission has been and will continue to be channeling emerging technologies through development and implementation for not only our agency customers, but for the entire weather forecasting community as well. Tasking by our primary customers assures that the AMU’s work results in products with direct operational application.”

Recent products developed for the AMU customers include an Anvil Threat Corridor tool for the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) to support all space launches from KSC/CCAFS and space shuttle landings at KSC or at any shuttle abort landing location worldwide; a Lightning Climatology of East Central Florida to assist forecasters with daily lightning probabilities; and a Stable Low Cloud Forecasting study to support space shuttle landing forecasts for KSC.

ENSCO has a long history of providing sophisticated weather technology support to government agencies and other weather related entities. In addition to the AMU contract, ENSCO supports the National Weather Service contract team on the next generation AWIPS program. Further establishing themselves as a leader in the weather community, ENSCO unveiled the MetWise™ product-line in 2004. MetWise is a comprehensive weather visualization and decision making assistance tool for the professional weather community. This year, ENSCO leveraged its extensive meteorological experience and entered the commercial airline weather support space. ENSCO now provides global weather support to three major airlines, including United Airlines.

For information on the AMU, please visit http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/amu

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO’s Melbourne, Florida Office Honored with Cogswell Award for National Security Excellence

09 Nov 2006 12:00:00 EST

Melbourne, Florida, November 9, 2006 — ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, announced today their Melbourne Facility was awarded the James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Award for 2006.

The award was presented to Ms. Elaine M. Jennings, ENSCO’s Facility Security Officer, by Ms. Patricia Dodson, Defense Security Service (DSS), Acting Regional Director, Southern Region.

“ENSCO’s commitment to security is its highest priority,” said Ms. Jennings. “We’re honored to receive this prestigious award. It’s a testament to the commitment by the ENSCO employees to the Industrial Security Program.”

The Cogswell Award, established in 1966, is named in honor of the late Air Force Colonel James S. Cogswell, who was the first chief of the unified Office of Industrial Security. The Cogswell Award is the most prestigious honor DSS may bestow on industry and is given for outstanding achievement.

DSS presents the James S. Cogswell Award to only a select group of defense contractors. This year, 29 companies were selected to receive the award from among a group of more than 11,000 contractor facilities participating in the Industrial Security Program. ENSCO’s Melbourne Facility was one of two selected in the entire state of Florida.

The criteria for this award focus on principles of industrial security excellence, which include establishing and maintaining a security program that goes well beyond the basic National Industrial Security Program requirements; and providing leadership to other facilities in setting high standards for security.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment and aerospace industries. Founded in 1969, ENSCO is a $100 million, 850-person, privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va, ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne, Fla., and Cocoa Beach, Fla., as well as field offices throughout the United States.
More about ENSCO

Kevin Kesler Promoted to Vice President of ENSCO’s Rail Technology Division

20 Nov 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., November 20, 2006 — ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced that Kevin Kesler has been promoted to the position of Vice President of ENSCO's Applied Technology and Engineering (ATE) Division. This announcement was made by ENSCO President Alan Bell at the 2006 Annual Meeting for Virginia employees.

Upon receiving the promotion announcement during ENSCO’s Virginia Annual Meeting, Kevin Kesler remarked, "For over thirty years, I have really enjoyed working at ENSCO, especially working out in the field with our newest technologies and our customers. The sharp ideas and strong commitment of the ENSCO team continues to impress our customers and me. We have a bright future ahead.”

In 1975, Kevin joined ENSCO to design a new gage measurement system for the railroad industry. He then spent 16 years as a staff engineer before being promoted to a management role. Kevin was promoted to Division Manager of the ATE Division last year after serving as Deputy Division Manager for the previous ten years. During that time the Division has tripled in size, expanded their business base and strengthened their capabilities.

For the last 25 years, Mr. Kesler has been an active member of the Railroad Research and Safety communities as a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Railway Maintenance, the AREMA Committee for Track Measuring Systems and the ASME Railroad Division. He served as a technical advisor during the creation of the FRA high-speed track safety standards. He has published numerous papers and reports and has been awarded four patents in the area of railroad safety and inspection technology. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland and studied technology management at Johns Hopkins University.

About ENSCO, Inc.

Kevin Pruett Promoted to Vice President, ENSCO Aerospace Sciences and Engineering Division

20 Nov 2006 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., and Cocoa Beach, Fla., November 20, 2006 — ENSCO, Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced that Kevin Pruett has been promoted to the position of Vice President of ENSCO's Aerospace Sciences and Engineering (ASE) Division. This announcement was made by ENSCO President Alan Bell at the 2006 Annual Meeting for Virginia employees.

In 2004, Kevin Pruett joined ENSCO to lead their ASE Division, which has expanded by 34 percent under Pruett’s guidance. Kevin has played a key role in the launch and success of ENSCO’s new weather forecasting tools and in winning ENSCO’s first commercial weather forecasting contract with United Airlines. He worked closely with the ENSCO business development team to secure the National Weather Service Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) contract teamed with Raytheon.

“We are very fortunate to have great weather business unit team members who are focused on success. Our aerospace business unit did a great job of sustaining and growing the business over the last two years as we built the weather business unit. We are now in a position of having two business areas that are well positioned for continued expansion, which, in turn, will lead to individual growth opportunities for all ENSCO ASE Division employees,” shares Mr. Pruett.

Prior to joining ENSCO, Kevin served as senior business development manager for homeland security at Harris Corporation in Melbourne, Fla. Kevin received his B.S. in business administration from the University of Florida. He also earned a master of business administration degree from Florida Tech. He earned his Certified Professional Contract Manager designation from the National Contract Management Association and is a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. Mr. Pruett currently serves as Vice Mayor for the City of Cocoa Beach, Fla. In addition, he also sits on the Board of Trustees for Cape Canaveral Hospital.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Wins $67 Million Contract with the Federal Railroad Administration

17 Apr 2007 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., April 17, 2007 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, today announced it has been awarded a contract to support the Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP) for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The five year contract is valued at $67 million.

ATIP, which is administered by the FRA Office of Safety Assurance and Compliance, serves an important role in the FRA’s overall safety oversight program. The primary purpose of ATIP is to ensure track safety standards are met by FRA inspectors in identifying the most important locations and conditions for them to evaluate. The FRA sets and enforces federal track safety standards and ATIP supplements conventional inspection methods by allowing FRA to monitor track conditions in a safe, accurate, and efficient manner. To meet this goal, ATIP utilizes automated track inspection vehicles, also known as track geometry survey cars, to examine critical parts of the nation’s railroad system.

Under the ATIP contract, ENSCO will operate and maintain the FRA’s three track geometry survey cars. The FRA ATIP fleet was recently expanded with the addition of two new cars. In addition to the DOTX 217, FRA has added DOTX 219, a self-propelled track geometry car; and DOTX 220, which is a towed high-speed track geometry car capable of surveying at speeds up to 125 mph. ENSCO, and its partners, Plasser American and Colorado Railcar, built these new state-of-the-art track inspection cars under a separate contract and delivered them to the FRA earlier this year.

We are honored to have been awarded the FRA ATIP contract. ENSCO takes great pride in our rail safety work; though we often work behind the scenes, our company has been a leading source of technology to the rail industry, transit industry and the FRA for more than three decades,” said Kevin Kesler, ENSCO’s Division Vice President for railroad and transit technology.

About ENSCO’s Rail Transportation Group

For more than 30 years, ENSCO’s team of engineers has been leading the rail industry in developing new, advanced technologies for transportation. ENSCO systems help customers improve the safety, security and quality of their operations. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance. Automated and autonomous inspection systems, Web-based data management systems, vehicle dynamics analysis and simulations, large-scale systems integration and other new products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle/track interaction monitoring and railroad asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

New Manager of ENSCO FRA OMI&A Contract Comes from Within

26 Apr 2007 12:00:00 EST

On April 26, ENSCO announced the promotion of Eric Sherrock to Program Manager within the Applied Technology and Engineering (ATE) Division. Eric is replacing long time ENSCO employee, Gary Carr, who ENSCO proudly reports has taken a position at the FRA. Eric will be stepping into Mr. Carr’s shoes as the manager of the Operations, Maintenance, Instrumentation and Analysis contract awarded by the FRA.

Mr. Sherrock will oversee all aspects of the FRA OMI&A contract and support railroad safety research and services. Eric’s promotion reflects ENSCO’s dedication to employees. Eric responds that he is eager to meet the challenges of maintaining ENSCO’s tradition of supporting the FRA’s research and development efforts while at the same time developing new and innovative approaches to meeting the critical needs of the FRA and the rest of the railroad industry.

ENSCO and the OMI&A Contract

ENSCO has managed the OMI&A contract for nearly 31 years. And, Eric has worked under the OMI&A contract in a variety of roles for the past 11 years. In that time, the FRA and ENSCO have worked together to bring dozens of innovations to rail safety. In the last several years, the OMI&A contract has produced the Joint Bar Inspection system and the VTI (Vehicle/Track Interaction) Monitor. These two new products have helped bring efficiency and automation to rail inspection. “Our goal is the FRA’s goal — rail safety. Where possible we try to create technology that will aid the jobs of the inspectors, create efficiencies and inject automation where needed,” said Eric Sherrock.

The impact of the technologies brought forth by the OMI&A contract has ushered in a new era in rail safety. With the T16 and T18, the inspection vehicles built by ENSCO and that are operated/maintained under the OMI&A contract, technology has been the driving force relieving the laborious burdens put on inspecting each foot of track across the nation. Rather than walking each foot of track, inspection vehicles (or geometry cars) are able to inspect thousands of miles of track each year at track speeds, “The OMI&A contract is exciting for ENSCO because we’re excited by these advances; we are motivated to keep innovating for the FRA. It’s what ENSCO does. As the company mantra goes: Innovation Starts Here,” said Mr. Sherrock.

More about Eric

In 1995 after graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Eric began working as a mechanical engineer for ENSCO in the ATE Division at Springfield, Va. Over the years, he was promoted to senior engineer and became leader of the vehicle testing group within the division.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, and aerospace industries. Founded in 1969, with revenues of more than $100 million, ENSCO is an 800-person, privately owned corporation. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., ENSCO has major offices in Springfield, Va., Endicott, N.Y., Melbourne, Fla. and Cocoa Beach, Fla.; field offices throughout the United States; and sales representatives in 15 countries selling ENSCO products to a wide range of customers. More about ENSCO.

ENSCO's Susan Cook Receives 2006 Technology All-Star Award

01 May 2007 12:00:00 EST

The National Women of Color Technology All-Stars are accomplished women of color at an advanced stage of their careers who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their workplaces and are women who serve as stereotype-breaking role models in technology and inspire other young women to succeed. ATE Deputy Division Manager Susan Cook (Springfield) is such a woman. She is one of three women who have blazed a trail up and through the decision-making processes of the male dominated rail industry. Susan was honored with a 2006 Technology All-Star Award at the eleventh annual National Women of Color in Technology Awards Conference in Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 19-21, 2006.

Susan has worked with ENSCO¹s rail group for more than 30 years. For the last 15 years, she has had the responsibility of managing the day-to-day operations of the Federal Railroad Administration¹s (FRA) Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP). From the physical operation of rail geometry vehicles to the analyses and resolution of technical matters regarding automated track inspection technology in general, Susan¹s depth of knowledge and accomplishments have gained her the respect and admiration of both the FRA and rail officials nationwide. It is because of these accomplishments that Susan was nominated for a national technology award.

The award is one of several initiatives of the Career Communications Group Inc. (CCG). A minority-owned media services company, CCG was founded in 1986 with the unique mission of promoting significant minority achievement in engineering, science and technology. The award programs serve as a tool for hundreds of government and Fortune 500 employers to honor outstanding achievement by women and minorities who demonstrate excellence in science, engineering or technology and display outstanding corporate leadership.

ENSCO's Winnie Lambert Receives Woman Engineers Technical Achievement Award

01 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EST

In Florida, the Space Coast Section of the Society of Woman Engineers awarded Winnie Lambert the 2006 Space Coast Section Society of Woman Engineers Technical Achievement Award during a banquet held for the nominees, Feb. 27, 2007, at the Rockledge Country Club.

The competition was extremely strong. Other nominees in this category included nine top engineers and scientists from Boeing, Northrop Grumman, United Space Alliance, NASA, InDyne Inc., and others.

Cited in the presentation were many of Winnie’s technical achievements during her 16 years of experience in the science of meteorology, and more than 12 years of support to NASA and the National Space Program including her strong experience in statistical analysis of large data sets using multiple programming languages supporting projects involving weather forecast improvement. She also works closely with operational meteorologists to ensure the products that she developed met their needs for transitioning into operations. Winnie has demonstrated expertise in analyzing radar and Doppler wind profiler data, in developing and modifying code in support of numerical weather prediction modeling, and in modifying graphical data displays. The algorithms that Winnie developed to check the quality of the 915-MHz profiler data worked so well that she co-authored a peer-reviewed journal article leading to a NASA Space Act Award.

Winnie’s recent accomplishments involve using statistical methods to develop forecast techniques for weather operations. Using launch-critical wind tower data, she created charts of peak wind speeds to help meteorologists determine the probability of meeting or exceeding specific peak winds and conducted a similar analysis of data for space shuttle landings. The tools that she developed for these applications are currently used in space launch and landing operations.

Forecasting the probability of lightning is another area of expertise for Winnie. She created forecast equations that output the probability of lightning for the day at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Her equations outperformed the lightning probability tool used for many years to such a degree that they were transitioned to operations immediately upon delivery.

Membership in the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association (NWA) also contributed to Winnie’s selection for this award. She holds a position on the Publications Committee of the NWA and was recently nominated for the position of Counselor of the NWA. She has authored or co-authored 24 technical papers for presentations at national meetings of these professional meteorological organizations.

ENSCO Supports Rex Systems on Effort to Accurately Locate First Responders in Critical Situations

24 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., July 24, 2007 — ENSCO Inc., a diversified research, development and information technology company, is part of a team led by Rex Systems Inc., to better equip first responders at the scene of blazes, explosions and other disasters. Currently, there is not an accurate way to locate responders within dangerous situations and lead them to safety. Under contract and exclusive license to Rex Systems, ENSCO is developing its Dalmatian technology, an affordable solution to accurately locate the responder within a GPS-denied environment (e.g., indoors) and guide the responder to safety.

ENSCO’s Dalmatian technology is a novel personal navigation system for first responders that is effective both indoors and outdoors. The mascots of firemen, Dalmatians have been the guardian of horse-drawn vehicles since the time of the ancient Egyptians. ENSCO’s Dalmatian technology uses sensors integrated into the first responder’s boot, combined with sophisticated signal processing, to continuously track the responder’s location. Chiefs can monitor their responding team and send rescue personnel when needed; fire-fighters can navigate themselves out of danger or relocate as directed by the Commander.

The integrated system being developed by Rex Systems, of which ENSCO’s Dalmation technology is a component, should revolutionize safety operations for first responders.

The Challenges

“The primary challenge of Dalmatian is to maintain an accurate position when the first responder is crawling, sidestepping and running. That ability is what differentiates us from the competition. Crawling is the most difficult because the first responder’s foot is almost constantly in motion,” explains ENSCO Program Manager Jane Bohlin.

Last November, the team began its evaluation of hardware options and placement of the hardware on the first responder’s boot. Recently the team completed a high level design for the system. Detailed design, implementation, and testing are scheduled through this summer with a demonstration planned for January 2008.

The Rewards

“Knowing our work may directly help save lives is very rewarding. Working within ENSCO’s GPS-denied navigation group is extremely satisfying. Not only is it a great learning experience, it’s exciting to work with new technology,” adds Ms. Bohlin.

ENSCO Introduced by Customer

Rex Systems, a leading manufacturer of military and civilian high-tech electronic systems, was introduced to ENSCO via their customer CERDEC, the U.S. Army's Communications Electronics, Research, Development and Engineering Center. “It’s great to be working with ENSCO. We (Rex Systems) have developed several critical technologies for this program and ENSCO provides the needed expertise in Denied GPS tracking technology for our system. First Responders need this life saving situational awareness and it’s great to be part of a program that will provide it,” said Thomas K. Guelzow II, President, Rex Systems Incorporated.

ENSCO will be presenting at the Precision Indoor Personnel Location and Tracking for Emergency Responders Technology Workshop, August 6-7, 2007 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA.

About ENSCO, Inc.

Team Case Qualifies for 2007 Urban Challenge Event with DEXTER, ENSCO’s Robotic Vehicle

20 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST

Anaheim, Calif., August, 2007 — Team Case has been selected by DARPA as one of 36 semi-finalists in the 2007 Urban Challenge. Video and slides from DARPA Director, Dr. Tony Tether's announcement are available for RealPlayer or Windows Media Player.

Team Case’s vehicle, DEXTER, is the robotic vehicle developed by ENSCO for the 2005 Challenge and made available to Case for their pursuit of the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. Team Case, which includes seven of ENSCO’s 2005 DARPA Challenge Team, has made extensive software and sensor modifications to DEXTER for it to operate in an urban environment.

ENSCO Engineer and Team Case Member Jacinda Clemenzi offers, “I’m absolutely thrilled that Team Case made it to the semi-finals for the National Qualification Event in October. I’ve visited the team a couple of times and I’m very impressed with what they’ve done with DEXTER. The group works well as a team and has implemented much of the intelligence into DEXTER that we always wanted him to have. From all accounts their site visit was nearly flawless. I was also fortunate enough to be out there when they announced that the team was accepted on Thursday. The University was very pleased, and it is wonderful to see DEXTER get this kind of support. They still have much progress to make before the NQE, and I plan to help by contributing to the LIDAR detection algorithms. I hope to see DEXTER perform in California.”

Leading Team Case is Dr. Wyatt F. Newman, a professor in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Case. His research is in the areas of mechatronics, robotics and computational intelligence, in which he has 10 patents and more than 100 technical publications. He received a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from M.I.T. in design and control.

About the DARPA Urban Challenge

The semi-finalists will next compete in the Urban Challenge National Qualification Event (NQE) scheduled for October 26-31, 2007. The top 20 teams from the NQE will move on to the Urban Challenge final event on November 3, and compete for cash prizes worth $2 million for first, $1 million for second, and $500,000 for third place.

DARPA also announced that the event will take place at the urban military training facility located on the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif. DARPA selected the location because its network of urban roads best simulate the type of terrain American forces operate in when deployed overseas. “The robotic vehicles will conduct simulated military supply missions at the site. This adds many of the elements these vehicles would face in operational environments,” explained Dr. Tether.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Wins Contract to Provide Track Inspection Services to WMATA

28 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., August 28, 2007 — ENSCO announced today it has been awarded a new multi-year transportation contract to provide track inspection services for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). ENSCO has been providing rail technologies to government and commercial rail customers for more than three decades. This new contract represents a strategic effort to expand ENSCO’s transit rail services.

Track Inspection Services for WMATA

WMATA awarded ENSCO’s rail group a multi-year contract to provide track geometry and rail profile testing services for Metro’s mainline, yard and third rail track. Additionally, this service will be performed using ENSCO’s latest inspection service truck, and commences our entry into the hy-rail track geometry test market.

“Providing track inspection services to WMATA, one of the nation’s largest transit systems, is a great opportunity for ENSCO. ENSCO feels honored to provide rail safety services to this transit authority,” said ENSCO Vice President Kevin Kesler. “Their commitment to track safety is our commitment to track safety.”

The ENSCO Track Geometry Measurement System (TGMS) has been used on railways throughout the world, including the systems ENSCO currently provides and operates for the United States Federal Railroad Administration on their vehicles for monitoring compliance with Federal Track Safety Standards. ENSCO offers track inspection services to transit and freight properties throughout North America. The system makes use of non-contact measurement techniques to evaluate all track geometry parameters as well as rail profile measurements. The system can collect, store and evaluate all required data on any required test vehicle operating at speeds up to the maximum allowable track/vehicle speed. Evaluation is made by comparing measured geometry conditions with applicable standards for non-compliance as provided by the customer.

About ENSCO’s Rail Transportation Group

For more than 30 years, ENSCO’s team of engineers has been leading the rail industry in developing new, advanced technologies for transportation. ENSCO systems help customers improve the safety, security and quality of their operations. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance. Automated and autonomous inspection systems, Web-based data management systems, vehicle dynamics analysis and simulations, large-scale systems integration and other new products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle/track interaction monitoring and railroad asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Continues to Expand Transit Rail Services

04 Sep 2007 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., September 4, 2007 — ENSCO announced today it won a new multi-year transportation contract to provide track inspection services to Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). This announcement comes one week after announcing a new contract to provide track inspection services to the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority. These new contracts represent a strategic effort to expand ENSCO’s transit rail services.

Track Inspection Services for MARTA

MARTA awarded ENSCO a multi-year contract to provide automated track geometry and measurement test services for the Authority’s double track mainline rail system, which includes approximately 104 miles of track. An ENSCO customer since 1997, this contract represents an ongoing track safety partnership with MARTA. The services provided by ENSCO ensure track geometry meets with MARTA’s track safety standards and provides valuable inputs for the overall track maintenance planning process.

ENSCO has been providing rail technologies to government and commercial rail customers for more than three decades. “Providing track inspection services to MARTA, one of the nation’s largest transit systems, is a great opportunity for ENSCO. ENSCO feels honored to provide rail safety services to this transit authority,” said ENSCO Vice President Kevin Kesler. “Their commitment to track safety is our commitment to track safety.

About ENSCO’s Rail Transportation Group

For more than 30 years, ENSCO’s team of engineers has been leading the rail industry in developing new, advanced technologies for transportation. ENSCO systems help customers improve the safety, security and quality of their operations. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance. Automated and autonomous inspection systems, Web-based data management systems, vehicle dynamics analysis and simulations, large-scale systems integration and other new products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle/track interaction monitoring and railroad asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

Two Additional Contracts Further Expand ENSCO's Transit Rail Services

19 Sep 2007 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., September 19, 2007 — ENSCO announced today it won two additional contracts further expanding its transit rail services. These new contracts are to provide rail inspection services to Transit America and Brazil’s SuperVia Railway. This news follows the company’s announcement last month of contract wins with Washington Metro Area Transit Authority and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

TransitAmerica Services, Inc.

TransitAmerica Services, Inc. is the rail operator and maintenance provider for North County Transit District (NCTD) Coaster and Sprinter Commuter Service of San Diego, Calif. Under this contract, ENSCO will conduct a track inspection survey on 120 of miles of track owned by NCTD. TransitAmerica Services, Inc. is the railroad subsidiary of Herzog Transit Services, Inc., a multi-million dollar corporation specializing in railroad and rail transit construction and operation, highway and airport construction, aggregate material production, contract operation of sanitary landfills and resource recovery projects.

SuperVia Railway

Rio de Janeiro’s private suburban rail operator, SuperVia awarded ENSCO an initial contract to provide a track inspection survey on 400 kilometers of passenger rail lines. ENSCO’s first project in South America, this contract achieves ENSCO business goals to expand internationally and will offer ENSCO employees the chance to work on site in Rio. SuperVia hired ENSCO based on their solid reputation in the rail industry and research experience. This project has the potential to lead to an increase in work for SuperVia and other Brazilian railroads who are currently reviewing ENSCO estimates for service.

About ENSCO’s Rail Transportation Group

For more than 30 years, ENSCO’s team of engineers has been leading the rail industry in developing new, advanced technologies for transportation. ENSCO systems help customers improve the safety, security and quality of their operations. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance. Automated and autonomous inspection systems, Web-based data management systems, vehicle dynamics analysis and simulations, large-scale systems integration and other new products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle/track interaction monitoring and railroad asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Contributes Comprehensive Weather Suite To Powerful New Flight Explorer Software

20 Sep 2007 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., September 20, 2007 — ENSCO, a premier provider of integrated weather data systems, today announced that users of Flight Explorer can now benefit from ENSCO’s enhanced suite of weather visualization tools and real-time global aviation weather data. ENSCO’s weather forecasting decision support system, which is also used by ENSCO meteorologists in supporting United Airlines and other major airlines, is a robust tool offering solutions to increase safety, reduce cost and lessen weather impacts to critical operations.

“The service now available to Flight Explorer users is a natural follow to the aviation weather support that we provide United Airlines,” said ENSCO’s Bob Gillen, ENSCO’s Director of Weather Systems. “From the basic weather service to advance predictive weather applications we provide a complete suite of operation weather products, including optional capabilities related to tropical and polar weather conditions,” continued Mr. Gillen.

Flight Explorer (FE), a global flight tracking and IT solutions provider to the aviation community, recently released Flight Explorer Professional™ Edition 8.0. With Version 8.0, Flight Explorer added several new features and enhancements including in ENSCO’s aviation weather support system. Flight Explorer is the most widely-used Aircraft Situation Display (ASD) in the commercial and business aviation community. ENSCO’s critical weather tool is a fully integrated product that overlays multiple weather layers for display on the FE Professional ASD, allowing users to receive a real-time view of the current and forecasted weather situation and determine how it will effect their overall flight operations.

About Flight Explorer

Flight Explorer (FE) is a global flight tracking, information technology and communications solutions provider to the commercial and business aviation community. FE provides these solutions to over 800 corporate clients, including over 85 percent of the North American major and regional airlines. Additionally, consumers can enhance their travel experience with Flight Explorer’s free online flight tracking and airport information tools. For more information please visit www.flightexplorer.com.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Weather Support Team Featured on FOX

19 Nov 2007 12:00:00 EST

ENSCO's Weather Support team was featured on FOX News in two major markets – Chicago and D.C. The weather team, based in Chicago and Florida, provides 24-hour weather support to United Airlines. ENSCO, an industry leader in aviation weather support, has been in the weather business for nearly three decades.

Please click below to view video clips:

Airlines Gear Up for Winter Weather Delays and Cancellations

Fox Chicago
October 31, 2007

Examining How Weather Causes Flight Delays

Fox D.C.
November 15, 2007

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO's Avionics Group Spreads Its Wings West

07 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., January 07, 2008 — ENSCO’s Avionics Solutions Group today celebrated the opening of their new Riverside, California, office. With more than 20 employees and growing at this location, ENSCO has branched out to become not only a leading avionics engineering provider on the East Coast and in the Midwest, but now on the West Coast as well. The office was born out of growing relationships with leading avionics systems suppliers and air-framers based on the West Coast.

“Already recognized as one of the largest outsourced avionics engineering solutions firms in the United States, ENSCO’s Avionics Solutions Group will now be able to regionally integrate and market themselves in core geographic areas,” said ENSCO’s Director of Avionics Solutions, Jay Ficarro.

ENSCO’s Avionics Solutions Group, is a premier provider of safety-critical avionics engineering solutions built around DO-178B, DO-254 and MIL-STD development requirements and includes training, verification and full certification solutions. ENSCO’s turn-key solutions cover all or part of the avionics system development life-cycle with experience across a wide variety of commercial and military airborne systems.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO GPS-Denied GeoNavigation Expert to Speak at National Conference

09 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., January 9, 2008 – ENSCO will present “Impact of Rapid Temperature Change on Firefighter Tracking in GPS-denied Environments Using Inexpensive MEMS IMUs” at the Institute of Navigation (ION) National Technical Meeting in San Diego, Calif., January 28 – 30. This three-day conference features more than 125 speakers from prominent research organizations around the world. ENSCO is one of a small number of presenters from the corporate marketplace selected to speak. The presentation is based on results from ENSCO’s GPS-denied geolocation technology named Dalmatian.

ENSCO’s Dalmatian technology provides passive geolocation of pedestrians in GPS-denied environments for the first responder and other groups.

For more information, please visit http://geonav.ensco.com.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Appoints Director of Aviation Weather Programs

28 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., January 28, 2008 — ENSCO today announced it welcomes seasoned aviation executive Dr. Jim Stobie to ENSCO. Dr. Stobie joins the company as ENSCO’s Director of Aviation Weather Programs for government customers.

This new addition to ENSCO comes at a pivotal time. “Having spent many years at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Jim brings a wealth of weather experience, especially in en-route programs and the upcoming FAA Next Generation Air Transportation System activities,” said Robert Gillen, ENSCO’s Weather Systems Director of Engineering. “Jim’s knowledge of the FAA requirements combined with the capabilities available from commercial, government research organizations, and academic environments give him an ability to integrate ENSCO’s capabilities into robust solutions for the FAA and other commercial organizations.”

As Director of Aviation Weather Programs, Dr. Stobie will be responsible for growing ENSCO’s business with the FAA and other aviation interests.

Dr. Stobie holds a PhD in atmospheric science from Georgia Tech. He served as an Air Force weather officer and weather/climate modeler for NASA. Prior to joining ENSCO, Dr. Stobie was a senior systems engineer for the FAA, where he was deeply involved with the FAA’s Weather and Radar Processor (WARP) program.

ENSCO’s aviation weather business is based in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral AFB, Fla. with a major operating location at the United Airlines world headquarters in Chicago. ENSCO has been working with NASA since 1991 to transition new research and technology into weather forecasting operations in support of the Space Shuttle program. Since 2005, ENSCO has been providing global weather forecasting for all of United Airline’s operations. ENSCO’s team of meteorologists develops and disseminates complete world-wide weather forecast services to United Airlines and all of United’s pilots.

ENSCO also supports the aviation community with specialized polar weather forecasting for flights going over the North Pole.

About ENSCO’s Aviation Weather Team

ENSCO is the premier integrator of disparate weather systems and technologies to increase safety, reduce cost and lessen weather impacts on space, aviation and business operations. ENSCO’s world-class meteorological capabilities and systems knowledge and experience provide decision makers with the most innovative staff and state-of-the-art applications available.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Hosts Educators’ Day in the Workplace

17 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., March 17, 2008 — ENSCO’s Springfield, Va., office yesterday hosted Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) teachers, counselors, and administrators for FCPS Educators' Day in the Workplace. Engineers and scientists from the several of ENSCO’s Divisions volunteered their time to share their educational paths and career experiences.

Educators' Day in the Workplace is designed to provide educators with a greater understanding of the workplace, identify skills needed for success, and offer ideas for teachers to effectively prepare students to be productive citizens. Studies show increased student achievement when there is a strong emphasis on the connections between school and work.

Several ENSCO division managers and staff scientists volunteered to present to the group. Knowing that math and science are critical areas for the FCPS educators and their students, ENSCO scientists highlighted their advanced technology projects and emphasized their own math and science education. Among these projects were ENSCO’s sensor integration applications and ENSCO’s hi-railer, a road truck converted to drive both on the road and on the rails, and loaded with high-tech equipment to inspect railroads.

“This event is very important in that it gives teachers and faculty an insight into the growing technology and engineering fields. The event also adds visibility to ENSCO’s mentoring and intern opportunities. The hope is that many young individuals will see the link between academic preparation and career paths,” said Senior Technical Recruiter Mark Agutter.

“As a corporation, ENSCO takes pride in supporting its community schools and encouraging a career in science, engineering and technology. Participation in community events also enhances ENSCO’s recognition. We are very excited about this opportunity to support Educator’s Day and are looking forward to supporting other community events in the future at all of our locations,” shares ENSCO’s Director of Recruiting Tammy Farnham.

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OCTE/events/EducatorsDay.htm

About ENSCO, Inc.

Canadian Pacific Railway Signs Contract for ENSCO’s patented Deployable Gage Restraint Measurement System

05 May 2008 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., May 5, 2008 — ENSCO announced today it won a commercial contract for its patented Deployable Gage Restraint Measurement System (DGRMS). This contract awarded by commercial railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) further expands ENSCO’s foothold in the commercial railway market.

CPR awarded ENSCO the contract based on ENSCO’s patented and proven technology for testing track strength, a technology that locates bad ties and fasteners in the track. ENSCO and Plasser and Theurer of Linz Austria jointly developed the unique suspension that makes deployable GRMS possible in a railbound high-speed test car.

“Winning this contract shows the value that commercial railroad companies place on using advanced technology to improve safety and their operational efficiency. It also fulfills ENSCO’s goal to commercialize the deployable GRMS technology that was developed for the FRA DOTX 18 self-propelled inspection car,” states Project Manager Jeffrey Bloom, P.E.

About DGMRS

DGMRS finds weaknesses in track structure and reports the location for follow-up corrective action. A truly modern advancement for the rail industry, the DGRMS measures track strength at up to 50 mph and can cover entire territories in the time it would take walking inspectors to cover a few miles of track. Its predecessor, the GRMS, only worked at speeds up to 30 mph and used one of the rail vehicle’s running axles, which could lead to safety problems for the test car crew in the event of a broken rail.

The DGRMS measurement axle is a fifth axle deployed from the frame of a track inspection vehicle. The axle is attached to a custom suspension that can vertically load, raise and lower, and properly align it with the track. This suspension allows the axle to be suspended from the underside of a railroad car and operate separately from the four running axles. The DGRMS also improves measurement performance by using a lighter measurement split axle which responds quicker to changes in track conditions. The DGRMS will also provide CPR with a winter gage inspection system capable of measuring gage even when the tracks are covered in snow.

About Canadian Pacific Railway

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canadian Pacific Railway is a Class 1 North American railway providing freight transportation services over a 14,000-mile network in Canada and the United States CPR ships commodities like grain, coal, lumber and potash as well as cars, agricultural equipment, home electronics, food and furniture.

About ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Group

For more than 30 years, ENSCO’s team of engineers has been leading the rail industry in developing new, advanced technologies for transportation. ENSCO systems help customers improve the safety, security and quality of their operations. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance, automated and autonomous inspection systems, Web-based data management systems, vehicle dynamics analysis and simulations, large-scale systems integration and other new products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle/track interaction monitoring and railroad asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO a Winner for Best Places to Work in Washington

13 May 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., May 12, 2008 — Three hundred businesses across the Washington Metropolitan region applied to be a part of the Washington Business Journal's third annual "Best Places to Work" awards program. ENSCO, the only privately-held technology and science organization to make the list, will be named one of the region's top 50 "Best Places to Work" at an awards breakfast on June 13. The June 13th breakfast will indicate ENSCO’s exact ranking among the 50 companies named on April 28, 2008.

The award recognizes the company's achievements in creating a positive work environment that aids in recruitment and retention of employees through a combination of employee satisfaction, working conditions and company culture.

"Our employees are ENSCO’s greatest asset," says ENSCO CEO, Paul Broome. "We are proud to be honored as a 'Best Place to Work,' and are committed to making our workplace one that will attract and retain the best and the brightest."

In addition to receiving this honor for the Washington region, ENSCO has previously won two CARE (Companies as Responsive Employers) Awards, which recognized ENSCO as having a family-friendly workplace.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO’s Rob Hamrick Promoted to Vice President of the Advanced Projects and Applications Division

14 May 2008 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., May 14, 2008 — ENSCO announced today the promotion of Rob Hamrick to Vice President of ENSCO’s Advanced Projects and Applications (APA) Division. Mr. Hamrick was promoted from his previous position as Division Manager of APA, which he held for two years.

APA’s business, which provides innovative technologies and services to the national security community, has grown under Mr. Hamrick’s leadership. “I am pleased to lead such a great team and look forward to our mutual successes in the coming years,’’ said Rob Hamrick, Vice President, ENSCO.

An employee with ENSCO since 1985, Rob is familiar with the core values of ENSCO and the impact they have on expanding business for the company while providing stimulating challenges for employees. In his new role, Mr. Hamrick’s primary goal is to grow APA's business through strong relationships with current and new customers, ensuring long-term business stability and significant opportunities for our staff.

“I am thankful for Rob’s leadership and the guidance he brings to company. Rob’s efforts are already building a thriving future for the division and the company,” said Paul Broome, CEO, ENSCO.

ENSCO’s APA Division traditionally focused on the DOD and DHS markets, but with Mr. Hamrick’s direction, during the last two years, is expanding its services and solutions into commercial markets. Recent collaborations with a leading company in the first responder marketplace have produced ENSCO’s Dalmatian product, which is a GPS-denied geolocation device that tracks path and location using low-cost inertial measurement units (IMUs). This product is being marketed to firefighters and other first responders.

"Over the next several years, APA will be focusing on growth initiatives with a goal of building up our technology product line in support of GPS-denied geolocation and navigation, underground characterization technologies, and security services,” further said, Mr. Hamrick.

About ENSCO, Inc.

HSToday Profiles ENSCO's Alan Bell

03 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST

HSToday June Leadership Profile

by David Silverberg
Saturday, 31 May 2008

Alan Bell, President and COO, ENSCO, Inc.

When the iron curtain fell, millions of people were liberated—but some industrial companies in the West were liberated, as well and could step into the light of day.

One such company was ENSCO Inc., Falls Church, Va. For a company on the cutting edge of technology, ENSCO has kept a remarkably low profile since it was founded in 1969.

Of course that low profile can be explained by its primary activities during those years: monitoring nuclear weapons testing and developing anti-submarine warfare and signal processing technologies.

“When the iron curtain came down, it was interesting. That was a bit of a shift for us,” recalled Alan Bell, ENSCO's animated and enthusiastic president and chief operating officer. “What we found was that the threat had changed and that, in many ways, many of the things that we did focused on signal processing and were just as applicable in other areas. So instead of looking for submarines under the ocean, we were looking for facilities underground, for example. We were looking for ways to provide sensor data—chemical, biological and nuclear threats—and provide actionable information that would kill false alarms and support those in response mode doing their jobs when something happens.”

Another change was that ENSCO, a privately held company, was ready to step out of the shadows, break from its slow growth of the past and compete in a broader marketplace.

“People tell us we’re one of the best-kept secrets in town,” Bell said, laughing.

Out of secrecy

Bell is leading ENSCO's emergence into the sunlight. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, he studied geophysics and wrote his Air Force-funded thesis on nuclear treaty monitoring. After a stint at Texas Instruments, he joined ENSCO in 1978 and has been there ever since, rising to his present position two years ago. “I’m a poster boy for ENSCO,” he joked.

Today, with nearly 800 employees and $106 million in 2007 revenues, ENSCO is providing technology that integrates avionics, supports the US space program and provides weather information.

But ENSCO is also very active in fields related to homeland security, turning the expertise it developed during the Cold War toward new and emerging threats.

One of these is its Dalmatian system for first responders. Because there was no accurate way to locate responders at the scene of fires, explosions or other disasters, especially indoors, ENSCO—along with Rex Systems, Chippewa Falls, Wis.— developed Dalmatian to provide responders with a self-contained device that would provide accurate location data without relying on radios or the global positioning system (GPS).

Another ENSCO locating system is called Blue Dog, which it developed to enable military personnel to locate people underground. This is now being adapted for mining operations.

According to Bell, GPS-denied navigation systems constitute a big technology thrust for the company.

When it comes to facility security, ENSCO developed Sentry, a detection system that is tuned to very quiet, very subtle intrusions using a variety of sensors like those for vibration and heat. ENSCO is now adding chemical and radiological sensing into the mix. This system is already protecting the Pentagon.

The company’s MicroSearch system can detect heartbeats in vehicles and containers. Bell likened it to a Star Trek episode during which Spock hunted down intruders on the starship Enterprise by locating their biological vital signs. The real system has numerous applications in border and cargo security.

A third of ENSCO's business is in the rail industry, and the company has developed means of testing and inspecting track integrity, rail car safety and evaluating rail security programs.

One very big issue that is engaging ENSCO—even though it is somewhat outside the realm of homeland security—is the question of measuring climate change. No matter one’s political or scientific position on the question, Bell pointed out that accurate measurement is critical to discussion of the issue, and ENSCO is actively developing and deploying scientific and technological means to provide factual data.

“Regardless of how significant it is as a political issue, you get a sense that it’s a good thing to be working on. It means things to the people who work for the company, and that’s very important to us,” he related.

“Our people like to work on stuff that’s really important to them,” he continued. “One of my roles in the company is to look out and identify some of these things, bringing them forward. These are issues out here; these are our capabilities over here. How do we take our capabilities and make them coincide well with the unmet needs we’ll be facing down the road?”

It’s a question Bell and ENSCO will be answering for many years to come. HST

About ENSCO, Inc.

Demand for SENTRY™, a Chem-Bio Sensor Monitoring System, Growing Among DOD and DHS customers

11 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., June 11, 2008 – ENSCO announced today that SENTRY™, its chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) early warning and interactive decision support system, is being installed in four DoD and DHS sites within the National Capital region. ENSCO’s SENTRY is the leading system of its kind for large building compound security and has been operational at the Pentagon since 2002.

Providing an integrated view of data from sensors, alarms and environmental factors, SENTRY enables responders to make more informed decisions in the face of a catastrophic event, helping to save lives and to minimize collateral damage. The system helps direct medical and fire personnel identify the safest escape routes; determine where and when to execute decontamination; decide when to initiate collective protective strategies; and stage evacuation plans for maximum efficiency in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear event.

One of SENTRY’s primary purposes is to minimize the time from detection of an event to response, bridging the gap between sensor data and actionable information. In addition, SENTRY allows for automated command and control, which includes automated response action, such as evacuation notifications, HVAC control, alarms and responder notification/coordination.

Another factor adding to SENTRY’s popularity is that it can accommodate almost any CBRN detector or sensor. “And if it can’t, we can make it do so,” added Mr. Grottle. “Our system design gives us the freedom to share its extensible architecture within the context of other systems.” SENTRY is unlike any other early warning and decision support system because it has an open architecture that supports both ‘plug-n-play’ sensor interfaces and it has the flexibility to grow as a site’s processing demands grows.

As a testament to SENTRY’s flexibility, ENSCO has installed a system at the Johns Hopkins National Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response (PACER). In this capacity, SENTRY provides “raw” sensor data feeds to a comprehensive distributed simulation system, which benefits from ENSCO’s subject matter knowledge and expertise of sensor capabilities. SENTRY has the ability to expand to meet PACER’s mission of improving the Nation’s preparedness and the ability to respond to high consequence events of a natural or manmade disaster by bringing together the best technologies and solutions.

About ENSCO, Inc.

HSToday Magazine Features ENSCO’s SENTRY™

12 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., June 12, 2008 – HSToday’s June issue highlights ENSCO’s SENTRY™ product, a leading chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) early warning and interactive decision support system, which recently won several contracts.

The system will be installed in four DoD and DHS facilities within the National Capital region. ENSCO’s SENTRY system combines the best of ENSCO technology; it uses an open architecture, enabling easy integration of sensors from all vendors and provides an intregrated view of data from sensors, alarms and environmental factors.

Read full article here:
DoD and DHS Customers Adopting SENTRY Chem-Bio Sensor Monitoring System

ENSCO Named a 2008 Best Places to Work by the Washington Business Journal

13 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., June 13, 2008 – At an awards ceremony on June 13, 2008, ENSCO was selected as one of the "Best Places to Work" by the Washington Business Journal. The award recognizes the company's achievements in creating a positive work environment through a combination of employee satisfaction, working conditions and company culture. More than 300 companies took part in this year's survey, and ENSCO was one of fifteen large local companies chosen.

"Our employees are ENSCO’s greatest asset," says ENSCO CEO, Paul Broome. "We are proud to be honored as a 'Best Place to Work,' and are committed to making our workplace one that will attract and retain the best and the brightest."

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Kicks Off a Radio Campaign on Washington’s Most Popular News Station, WTOP Beginning June 23.

20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., June 20, 2008 – If you’re listening to WTOP 103.5 FM next week, you’re likely to hear a familiar name. ENSCO is running two 10-second radio advertisements which highlight our 2008 Best Place to Work award and our national security efforts. These two spots will alternate in June. In July, ENSCO will debut a 30-second advertisement.

To listen to ENSCO’s exciting radio ads, click the links below.

Estimated run times:
July 8, 2008 – 7:21 am, 1:40 pm, 4:07 pm, 8:46 pm, 9:27 pm
July 9, 2008 – 8:56 am, 10:20 am, 3:37 pm, 9:09 pm

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About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO’s Joanne McDonald Obtains Director Professionalism Certificate

03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., July 7, 2008—ENSCO announced today that Joanne McDonald, member of the Board of Directors of ENSCO, Inc. has received the prestigious Certificate of Director Education from the Corporate Directors Institute of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

To date, only 1,150 corporate board members have been awarded this significant designation.

About the NACD Corporate Directors Institute

For three decades, the National Association of Corporate Directors has provided vital leadership on corporate governance practice in both public and private U.S. companies. The NACD Corporate Directors Institute continues that tradition. The Institute offers nationally recognized continuing educations curriculum and certificate program for corporate board members who are committed to practicing engaged, effective, and ethical corporate governance.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Kicks Off Phase Two of Radio Campaign on Washington’s Most Popular News Station, WTOP July 7.

14 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., July 3, 2008 – If you’re listening to WTOP 103.5 FM next week, you’re likely to hear a familiar name. ENSCO is running two 30-second radio advertisements which highlight our 2008 Best Place to Work award and our national security efforts. These two spots will alternate in July.

To listen to ENSCO’s exciting radio ads, click the links below.

ENSCO Radio Ad 1
ENSCO, Inc. is a science and technology company with headquarters in the Washington metro region. ENSCO named a 2008 best places to work by the Washington Business Journal offers advanced technologies, research and products to protect our nation. We provide exciting career opportunities and the development of GPS-denied geolocation and navigation solutions to precisely track first responders and military personnel under unique operational constraints. Visit ENSCO online at ENSCO.com. ENSCO, Inc. Security and technology. Together.

ENSCO Radio Ad 2
ENSCO, Inc. is a science and technology company with headquarters in the Washington metro region. ENSCO offers advanced technologies, research and products to protect our nation. SENTRY, our premiere CBRN early warning and decision support system provides customized protection for large building and government campus operations. Named a 2008 best places to work by the Washington Business Journal. Visit ENSCO online at ENSCO.com for an exciting career opportunities. ENSCO, Inc. Security and technology. Together.

Tip: If you can't play audio files, please download one of the following players:

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO’s Ted Freeman Promoted to Vice President

17 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., July 17, 2008—ENSCO announced today that ENSCO employee Ted Freeman has been promoted to Vice President of Information Systems and Technology (IST).

Mr. Freeman moves up from Division Manager, a position he has held since 2003. Joining the company in 1995, Mr. Freeman has been the leading catalyst for building ENSCO’s robust company-wide information system. Most significantly, Mr. Freeman was responsible for ENSCO’s overall business automation, electronic information access, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of business information used by all organizational elements, employees, customers and shareholders.

“In the 13 years that Ted had led the company’s information technology efforts, he has managed the full life cycle. He can look back with a great sense of accomplishment at all that he and his team have implemented. The promotion to vice president was well deserved and well earned,” said ENSCO CEO Paul Broome. “We look forward with anticipation to the changes that Ted and his group will make for the company in the future.”

A native of Washington, D.C., Ted holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco. He also obtained his master’s degree in telecommunications from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., in May 2000. Ted continues to broaden his education with coursework and certifications in his field while enhancing and honing his leadership and business-related skills.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Awarded Acceptance into SeaPort-e Program

17 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., July 17, 2008—ENSCO and its 12 teammates have been awarded acceptance into the SeaPort Enhanced (SeaPort-e) electronic procurement program.

SeaPort-e enables electronic procurement of engineering, technical and programmatic support services by NAVSEA's Warfare Center community. This Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract enables ENSCO to compete for task orders totaling $10 billion over 10 years, if all options are exercised.

“We are very pleased with the award and are extremely honored. We look forward to a long-term partnership with the Navy in support of their missions,” said ENSCO President, Alan Bell.

The government estimates a maximum of $5,300,000,000 of services will be procured per year via orders issued under the SeaPort-e multiple award contracts. The awards have a one-year base period with one five-year award term and one additional four-year award term. The award of these contracts is a result of the SeaPort-e Rolling Admissions solicitation.

SeaPort-e helps naval activities reduce costs and promote business efficiencies in the effort to lead the Navy on a successful course. All NAVSEA, NAVAIR, SPAWAR, NAVSUP, MSC, NAVFAC, SSP, ONR, DTRA and USMC contracting officers can order from the SeaPort-e contract.

For more information, please visit: www.ensco.com/seaport.

About ENSCO, Inc.

Jonathan S. Spaeth Joins ENSCO as General Counsel

23 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Virginia, July 23, 2008—ENSCO today announced that Jonathan S. Spaeth has joined ENSCO as Vice President and General Counsel, reporting directly to ENSCO CEO Paul Broome. “Jon is an excellent addition to our team,” said Mr. Broome. “He is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in contracts, compliance, intellectual property, dispute resolution and corporate governance.”

Prior to joining ENSCO, Jonathan was a partner at the Washington, D.C. office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation. In 2006, he joined Raytheon as Senior Counsel where he advised internal business units on a wide variety of issues relating to the company’s dealings with the U.S. and foreign governments, compliance with regulatory requirements, and business with domestic and international competitors, partners and consultants. Immediately prior to joining ENSCO, Jonathan was General Counsel of Visual Defence, Inc., a software company headquartered in Toronto.

As ENSCO’s General Counsel, Jonathan will be responsible for advising the senior executive team on all company related legal matters, including corporate compliance, risk management, government and commercial contracts, litigation and dispute resolution, labor and employment issues, and internal policies and ethics, as well as a full range of strategic and business initiatives.

Jonathan received his B.A from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Virginia.

About ENSCO, Inc.

Jim Barton Joins ENSCO as Vice President, Corporate Business Development

03 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., September 3, 2008—ENSCO announced today that Jim Barton has joined the company as Vice President of Corporate Business Development.

Barton will be responsible for all ongoing business development efforts, with his primary objective being the identification of new opportunities to further enhance ENSCO’s successful track record in the industries of national security, transportation and aerospace.

"With his strong operational focus, orientation toward action and results and proven track record, Jim Barton is superbly qualified to lead our talented team of business developers," said ENSCO CEO Paul Broome.

Barton most recently served as the Director, Business Development of Homeland Security Services, for Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Services. At Lockheed, Barton was responsible for strategic business planning and development related to homeland security and homeland defense. He specifically focused on Department of Homeland Security (DHS), other federal civil departments, Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, homeland defense, as well as state and local markets.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Barton was the Corporate Director of Homeland Security for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), serving in the ongoing war against terrorism and as the company’s executive account manager to DHS.

Earlier in his career, Barton worked with the United States Secret Service, a post he held for some 22 years.

Barton is a member of the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), as well as a member of the ASIS Council for Terrorism and International Crime. Barton is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from George Mason University.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Supports Community Radio Campaign for the Troops

04 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST

Click here to listen to the latest installment of ENSCO’s radio’s outreach.

ENSCO Supports Community Radio Campaign for the Troops
ENSCO is teaming up with America Supports You to help get care packages to U.S. troops deployed overseas. Our troops throughout the world will know they are appreciated this upcoming holiday season when they receive their care packages filled with items donated by listeners of this local Washington radio station. Items most requested by the troops include batteries, fans, DVDs, CDs, handheld games, calling cards, flash drives, snacks, entertainment items and letters of support.

To ship a care package and/or get mailing addresses, visit www.americasupportsyou.mil

Photo source and credit: U.S. Army Photo Gallery

Tip: If you can't play audio files, please download one of the following players:

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Alan Bell Discusses ENSCO and National Security with HS Today Magazine Editor, David Silverberg

07 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., October 7, 2008—ENSCO’s COO and President, Alan Bell met up with HS Today Editor, David Silverberg last month at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The two sat down and discussed the state of national security and the future paths of ENSCO. Their discussion covered the timely topics of today and tomorrow including alternative energy.

David Silverberg and Alan Bell

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ENSCO Releases 2008 Annual Report

10 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., October 7, 2008—Today, ENSCO released its 2008 Annual Report—Vision and Innovation.

ENSCO’s success in 2008 was a direct result of our greatest strength—our innovative employees who bring their diverse disciplines, dedication, and experience to our customers’ missions with enthusiasm and pride.

Thank you for helping to make ENSCO such an extraordinary company.

Vision Innovation – 2008 Annual Report

Our Vision
Committed to serving our customers with the highest level of professionalism and integrity, ENSCO translates vision into innovative solutions.

Table of Contents – 2008 Annual Report
• To Our Customers, Shareholders and Employees • Avionics • Security • Rail Technologies • Weather • Aerospace • Developing Technologies • ENSCO Employees Translate Vision into Innovation • Leadership • Locations Download 2008 Annual Report (PDF–1.4 MB).

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From Weather Observation to Forecasting, ENSCO Presents the Latest in Meteorological Technology and Applications at the 89th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society

30 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., October 30, 2008—ENSCO scientists will unveil the latest in meteorological technology and applications at the American Meteorological Society (AMS) meeting, Jan. 11-15, 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz. The following ENSCO experts will present papers and/or presentations:

Jonathan L. Case, ENSCO scientist, will present the following papers, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Scientist Joe Barrett will present:

Anvil Forecast Tool in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System

Senior scientist Joe Dreher and staff scientist Winnie Crawford will present:

Statistical Short-Range Guidance for Peak Wind Speed Forecasts at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Senior scientists Leela Watson and Bill Bauman will present:

Observation Denial and Performance of a Local Mesoscale Model
Weather Research and Forecasting Model Wind Sensitivity Study at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

As part of the Aviation, Range and Aerospace Meteorology Special Symposium on Weather-Air Traffic management Integration, James Stobie and Robert Gillen will present “An enhanced convective forecast (ECF) for the New York TRACON area,” Jan. 13, 2009. In the afternoon session of the same symposium, Stobie and Gillen will present a follow-up paper titled: “Integrating convective weather forecasts with the traffic management advisor" J. G. Bailey and I. A. B. Wilson contributed to both papers. Abstracts of these reports can be found at: http://ams.confex.com/ams/89annual/techprogram/programexpanded_526.htm

For more information, visit 89th AMS Annual Meeting.

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ENSCO Highlighted for Successful Efforts in Subcontractor Diversity

03 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

ENSCO was recently highlighted in the November issue of Diversity and Careers Magazine. The article focused on companies that place a priority on working with Minority Business Enterprises and Women Business Enterprises (M/WBE). ENSCO is fortunate to have Sheryl Reed aboard; as Director of Procurement, Sheryl leads ENSCO's subcontractor diversity efforts and has surpassed most of the government requirements.

"Finding small M/WBE subcontractors in the defense industry isn't always easy," says Reed. "We are involved in highly technical programs with a lot of R&D. We've found that as complexity increases there are fewer subcontractors to choose from."

But the challenge hasn't stopped ENSCO from meeting and exceeding its goals. From 2004 through 2008, the company was required to procure about $11 million in small-business contracts, but actually gave out contracts totaling $28 million. In that time, ENSCO bought from more than 830 small businesses of various classifications.

Read a full article:
Supplier Diversity: DEFENSE CONTRACTORS WITH SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAMS–MBEs, WBEs and others step up as important partners in defense.

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ENSCO Highlights its 2008 Rail Solutions M/W for RT&S

07 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., November 7, 2008 —This summer ENSCO released a new automated track inspection product, the RailScan™ Lite Hi-Rail Gauge Inspection System. This non-contact laser gauge measurement system offers track inspectors a means to regularly monitor gauge conditions as a supplement to full track geometry inspections. Also, the product is being used to conduct gauge inspections on yard and industry track. This technology and TrackIT® v 3.0, which are leading the industries efforts to automate maintenance-of-way planning, are featured in this month's RT&S magazine.

Read full article titled "Railroads automating m/w planning" (PDF) on Railroad Track and Structures (RT&S) Web site.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Rail Experts Byline Article on Derailment Prevention

21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

ENSCO rail experts, Brian Whitten, Eric Sherrock and Dr. Khaled Zaazaa wrote an article for November’s Mass Transit magazine. They outlined the major causes of derailment and how the industry can prevent these accidents. For more than three decades, ENSCO has been providing rail safety solutions to railroads to help prevent derailments. With unparalleled accuracy, flexible testing schedules and competitive prices, ENSCO provides the technology its customers need in order to improve safety and operations. Our cost-effective approach is appropriate for any size rail operation.

Read the full article titled "Keeping Your Passengers on the Rail–Strategies for Preventing Derailments."

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO Rail Group to Build and Deliver Instrumented Wheel Sets to Hyundai Rotem

08 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., January 8, 2009 — ENSCO, Inc. has been awarded a contract by the Hyundai Rotem Company to manufacture and deliver two pairs of instrumented wheel sets. These instrumented wheel sets, to be installed on passenger rail cars being introduced in the U.S., represent a state-of-the-art solution for taking measurements from wheel-rail interactions and assessing the performance of rail vehicles at high speeds.

ENSCO will be providing custom-made instrumented wheel sets for new cars that Hyundai Rotem will be delivering to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and Southern California Regional-Rail Authority (SCRRA). ENSCO will perform the design, manufacturing and operation of the instrumented wheel sets, as well as data analysis to evaluate the performance of these high speed cars. ENSCO is also providing track geometry measurement and analysis services to Hyundai Rotem under a separate contract.

About Hyundai Rotem

Hyundai Rotem is a global rail vehicle supplier. To date, the company has produced a total of some 35,300 vehicles and exports to more than 29 countries in five continents. Hyundai Rotem is staffed with 3,800 individuals including 700 researchers that carry on the company name by delivering highly advanced products. Hyundai Rotem started its business with rolling stock in the 1960s, and has continuously expanded into defense and heavy industries. Hyundai Rotem has a long engineering background with railway vehicles, such as electric multiple units, high-speed trains, light rail vehicles, locomotives and passenger coaches. Hyundai Rotem Company has its own bullet train design and produces capability equipment with cutting edge technology. Hyundai Rotem Company is a global player by supplying products into total 45 countries and makes a value to the world as Hyundai Motors Group. Fore more information, visit www.rotem.co.kr.

About ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Group

For more than 30 years, ENSCO has been leading the rail industry in developing new and advanced technologies. ENSCO’s systems and solutions help customers improve the safety, security and quality of their operations. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance. ENSCO is a leading provider of automated and autonomous inspection systems, Web-based data management systems, vehicle dynamics analysis and simulations, large-scale systems integration and other products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle/track interaction monitoring and railroad asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, and aerospace industries. A privately held company with a history of innovation spanning four decades, ENSCO’s revenue exceeds $100 million annually. ENSCO is headquartered near Washington, D.C., with field offices throughout the United States and representatives across the globe. More About ENSCO

Weather Services and NextGen – ENSCO Leading the Pack

14 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST

ENSCO, a leading provider of aviation weather, has teamed up with other weather providers to solve the aviation weather challenge of the decade – fully integrating aviation weather into NextGen, the next generation of aviation’s air traffic control system. This latest challenge isn’t anything new for ENSCO. Since 1991, ENSCO has staffed and managed NASA’s Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU). The award-winning AMU has been a critical factor in rapidly transitioning technologies to weather operations in support of the space shuttle, National Space Program, and National Weather Service. NASA management has rated these operations as essential to continued space operations. ENSCO and its teammates are building solutions and working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has targeted 2025 as the completion date for transforming the nation’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. By this date, the FAA plans to have completely overhauled the underlying structure of the ATC and to have migrated to a satellite-based navigation system. However, the real key to the success will be the ability to better manage weather impact on the aviation system.

As a first step to meeting this goal, the FAA has created a test facility in Daytona Beach, Fla. At this test facility, ENSCO has been participating with several other companies to integrate aviation weather information into the traffic management system. ENSCO recently successfully led the effort to integrate current and forecasted weather information into the traffic management system. The facility held a demonstration of this new development on November 18 and according to Embry-Riddle’s vice president (a partner at the test facility), “This demonstration [shows] the FAA that this particular integration is feasible, practical and beneficial.”

Robert Gillen, ENSCO’s Director of Engineering, was recently interviewed by Aviation International News and he recounted this test demonstration, “Progress has been made at the test facility – this demonstration accurately combined current weather data into the traffic management system and instantly the value of having these two data sets overlay each other was visible.” Mr. Gillen further added, “The next logical step is to incorporate turbulence and convection into these automation system, so that traffic managers can preplan around forecast weather and/or turbulence conditions.”

Incorporating weather and the other relevant factors will be critical to creating a new ATC system and on the weather front, ENSCO is leading this effort.

To read the complete article with Robert Gillen’s interview, please click this article (PDF): Weather service in the NextGen Era

About ENSCO, Inc.

Rail Safety Enhanced with ENSCO’s Joint Bar Inspection System

16 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., February 16, 2009 — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reported in 2006 that broken joint bars are a significant cause of main line derailments in North America. To decrease the number of derailments due to broken joint bars, ENSCO worked in partnership with the FRA Office of Research and Development to develop the Joint Bar Inspection System (JBIS), a machine vision joint bar inspection system.

Fewer Derailments with Joint Bar Inspection Technology

Utilized by commercial railroads and the FRA, ENSCO’s systems locate and identify hairline cracks in joint bars at speeds up to 65 MPH. This is a significant improvement in efficiency over traditional walking inspections and more accurate than visual inspection of bars from a hi-rail vehicle. As ENSCO’s Joint Bar Inspection fleet expands, the chances of derailments from broken joint bars decreases. The JBIS automated machine vision technology for inspecting rail joint bars can be installed on a hi-railer or a track inspection car where it captures high-resolution images of the joint bars and uses advanced processing algorithms on the images to detect cracks. The JBIS provides reporting of every exception located during the inspection, allowing the maintenance crews to perform the track maintenance more efficiently. If required, it also provides a GPS location inventory of all rail joints on the line.

ENSCO is the only company to offer a high-speed optical joint bar inspection system and has seen the demand for this technology quickly increase. Five of the Class 1 railroads use this technology to augment their joint inspection processes. The system has been used by these railroads to repair sections of track that have had high rates of defective joint bars for an extended period of time and is also used quarterly to ensure new cracks in bars are identified and removed immediately.

ENSCO added new features to the Joint Bar Inspection System in the past year including refined detection of very small cracks and improved detection on non-uniform rail conditions such as water streaked rail and rail that is cluttered with debris. “We developed algorithms to find what the industry calls ‘five percent’ cracks, which are about 0.25 inches in length,” said ENSCO, Program Manager, Andie Berry. “These cracks are virtually invisible to railroad maintenance personnel when performing traditional visual inspections from a hi-railer. This capability has made a significant impact in the early detection of defective bars before they reach 100 percent breaks.”

ENSCO performs Joint Bar Inspection Services for its customers with its fleet of hi-railers or customers may purchase ENSCO’s JBIS systems and operate them with their own personnel.

About ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Group

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO’s Boris Nejikovsky Promoted to Vice President, Rail Technologies Division

25 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., February 25, 2009 — ENSCO, Inc. announced today that Boris Nejikovsky has been promoted to Vice President of ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Division. Nejikovsky has more than 25 years of experience with advanced technology and engineering applications for the civil engineering and transportation industries. In particular, he has made significant contributions to railroad safety technology.

Nejikovsky will be responsible for ensuring ENSCO’s success and growth in the rail technology market. Specifically, Nejikovsky will lead ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Division in applying its unique capabilities to enhance railroad safety and efficiency. “ENSCO has been providing rail safety products and services to government and commercial organizations for more than 38 years. Our experienced team supports our customers with the tools, technologies and consulting services that they need to conduct day-to-day operations and meet their transportation safety and efficiency objectives,” Nejikovsky said. “Our actions, responsiveness and performance demonstrate to our customers that we stand behind our products and are committed to helping them meet their toughest transportation and safety challenges.”

"Boris has demonstrated his ability to lead ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Division into the future. He knows the railroad community and is well respected in it, he knows the technology and how to apply it to create and deliver the products and services our customers need, and he has a terrific team of technologists, managers and support staff behind him. What more can one ask for in a leader,’ said ENSCO Chairman and CEO Paul Broome.

With a focus on continued growth, Nejikovsky stated that developing ENSCO’s Vehicle/Track Interaction consulting services and vehicle and track testing solutions is a strategic priority. Our customers can benefit from ENSCO’s diversified background and strong capabilities in solving the toughest vehicle performance and vehicle/track interaction problems. With experience on both track and vehicle sides of the railroad operations, ENSCO brings its customers comprehensive solutions to improve reliability and safety of their operations.

Nejikovsky joined ENSCO in January 1993 as a senior engineer. He quickly advanced to the positions of staff engineer and chief engineer and helped design and integrate many of the Rail Technologies Division’s products, such as the Portable Ride Quality Measurement System, Gage Restraint Measurement System, Laser Gage, Rail Profile Measurement System, Autonomous Vehicle/Track Interaction Monitors, and Joint Bar Inspection System.

In August 2008, Nejikovsky was promoted to Acting Division Manager of the Rail Technologies Division. He and his team worked hard in the intervening months to ensure a strong financial base for the division, a competitive position to capture new work, and the technological edge needed by ENSCO’s customers. As a result of these efforts, Boris was recognized by ENSCO management and the Board of Directors when he was promoted to Vice President at the February Board of Directors’ meeting.

About ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Division

For more than 30 years, ENSCO has been leading the rail industry in developing new and advanced technologies. ENSCO’s systems and solutions help customers improve the safety, security and quality of their operations. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance. ENSCO is a leading provider of automated and autonomous inspection systems, Web-based data management systems, vehicle dynamics analysis and simulations, large-scale systems integration and other products and services. The ENSCO name represents the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle testing, vehicle/track interaction solution, and railroad asset management technology. The ENSCO-developed line covers technologies for many aspects of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

ENSCO to Deliver MicroSearch® Human Presence Detection Systems to Scottish Prison Service

04 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST

Falls Church, Va., March 4, 2009 – ENSCO, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a two-year umbrella contract with an option for two additional years by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to provide MicroSearch® Human Presence Detection Systems for detection of hidden persons in vehicles entering and departing its establishments. Orders for two (2) MicroSearch systems have already been placed by SPS with the opportunity for additional purchases over the four-year umbrella period. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in March.

MicroSearch uses patented sensor and software technology to rapidly and accurately detect hidden persons in vehicles of any size or function. MicroSearch provides an effective electronic inspection tool for the corrections officer responsible for ensuring that each and every vehicle departing the establishment does not contain any escaping inmates.

“We are very pleased to again support SPS with our MicroSearch product; SPS was a customer of our first generation MicroSearch solution back in the early 2000’s,” said ENSCO product director, Steve Burger. “We welcome the opportunity to be a part of their prison security program as we are with over two dozen other prison customer sites in the United Kingdom.”

About ENSCO, Inc.

Increasing Railroad Safety – ENSCO Delivers Track Inspection Systems for Canadian National Test Car

02 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., April 1, 2009 – ENSCO, Inc. today announced that it delivered state-of-the-art track inspection systems for Canadian National’s (CN) new test car. These safety-enhancing technologies will be used for the automated inspection of track geometry, rail profile and joint bars across CN’s rail line network. The systems will assist CN with inspection of 75,000 track miles per year.

This delivery represents the first installation in which ENSCO integrated its Joint Bar Inspection System (JBIS) and Track Geometry Measurement System (TGMS) on the same vehicle. The combination of these two technologies results in an extremely strong, capable and efficient inspection system.

ENSCO delivered the following technologies on the car:

TGMS – using non-contact sensors, measures track gage, crosslevel, alignment, profile, and curvature
JBIS – high-speed optical system that detects joint bar cracks as small as 1 mm, identifies the location, while moving at speeds of up to 60 mph
Rail Profile – measures cant and rail wear
Right-of-way video – captures right-of-way images every 30 feet to allow users to visually correlate track features with potential exception locations
Navigator – an inertial, differential Global Positioning System (GPS)

“We’re proud to help CN further improve their safety performance,” said Gary Martin, ENSCO’s Project Manager for the CN system. “Making track measurement more efficient and easier for the railroads is one of our top priorities.”

About ENSCO’s Rail Technologies Group

ENSCO is a leading provider of track measurement systems and cars throughout the world, supplying the rail industry with new and advanced technologies for more than 30 years. As an active member of the railroad and transit research communities, ENSCO is committed to the creation, development and application of new technology to improve rail safety and performance and is the rail industry’s premier source for track inspection, vehicle/track interaction monitoring and railroad asset management technology. ENSCO‘s product and service lines cover technologies for every phase of rail operations.

About ENSCO, Inc.

Keeping Your Trains on the Track – Strategies for Preventing Derailments

01 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

Springfield, Va., June, 2009
This article is featured in US Infrastructure magazine.

A derailment, simply put, is the loss of guidance (or contact stability) between any of the rolling wheels and the rail. The wheel may climb up on its flange and over the rail, head to the outside of the track or drop in between the rails. Preventing derailments is a top priority of all rail operators. At ENSCO, Inc. our 35 years of experience in track measurement and vehicle/track interaction consulting has provided us with a thorough understanding of both the causes of derailments and mitigation strategies that can be employed to significantly reduce the potential of future derailments. This article reviews the causes and potential preventative measures of most derailments.

Common Causes of Derailments

Operator (Human) Error

Derailments are often attributed, at least in part, to human error. In some cases, the error is associated with a vehicle component or key element of the track structure not being inspected or serviced properly. However, a large portion of those incidents associated with human error can be attributed to operator error.

Most accidents attributed to operator error can be typified to be one of several scenarios. There are those accidents in which one or more trains were operated at speeds in excess of that determined to be appropriate for the conditions at hand. Related to this type of situation, many derailments can be attributed to poor train handling practices, including excessive braking rates. Other derailments, and many collisions, can be traced to the lack of observation or proper interpretation of signals. In the vast majority of situations, human error is often associated with one or more parties not following established procedures. An operator can be particularly susceptible to this situation when major changes to equipment, policies or operating practices are implemented.

Vehicle/Track Component Failure

In many cases, a derailment results simply from the outright failure of a key system component. From the point of view of the infrastructure, a loss of guidance can be caused by broken or buckled rail resulting from environmental temperature extremes, loss of track fasteners, bolts or broken bolts failing to hold the track gage under load and bridge support or track sub-grade failure. The failure of track components can manifest themselves in track geometry issues such as narrow or wide gage, high track warp, repeated track anomalies such as a series of "bumps" or "dips," a harmonic variation in crosslevel and short profile deviations that can result from such issues as failed joints. Operation of vehicles with stiff suspensions over "warped" or "twisted" track can lead to wheel unloading. In addition, switches and other locations of special track work are critical locations at which many issues can arise including switch operator failure or switch point breakage and insufficient compression of spring frogs in special track work.

From the perspective of the vehicle, a broken wheel or axle, bearing failure that interferes with the rolling of the wheels, or any bound suspension components such as the center plates, side bearers or dampers can lead directly to a derailment due to the inhibition of the truck or bogie rotation resulting from a change in track direction. The dimensions of the wheel flanges are also a critical aspect of the vehicle's condition. Thin flanges, resulting from contact between the flange face and the gage face of the rail, and high flanges, resulting from excessive tread wear, can create problems while negotiating switches.

The potential causes for derailment are by no means limited to the partial or complete failure of the track or vehicle-based components. Derailments can result from a combination of conditions in which vehicle or track-based components are within acceptable tolerances but close to thresholds deemed appropriate for identifying suspect components. There is the potential for track anomalies that may not meet the threshold used to identify maintenance issues can cause cars to pitch, bounce, yaw or roll in a manner that can lead to vehicle instability, especially in those cases where the anomalies are repeated. The response of the vehicle to track perturbations is a key aspect to operations and leads directly to the next discussion about considerations in derailment causes - how the vehicles and track react to each other.

Poor Vehicle/Track Interaction

Comprehensive approaches to derailment prevention require that the interaction of the track with the moving vehicle, often referred to as vehicle-track interaction (VTI), be considered as a whole.

The successful guidance of a moving rail vehicle will be governed by the response of the vehicle to deviations in the track geometry, either by design (curves, switches, etc.) or because of component degradation. In turn, the response of the vehicle to the track is significantly affected by the interaction of each rolling wheel with the rail and the contact conditions between the wheels and rails. A derailment is often the result of many factors combining to create an undesirable VTI situation. For example, a modest track twist (change in crosslevel) near a curve worn switch point could lead to less than desirable wheel/rail contact geometries and the potential for a wheel to climb over the rail, particularly for stiffly suspended trucks.

Several VTI scenarios can lead to derailment, including wheel climb resulting from excessive lateral forces at the wheel/rail interface as compared to vertical forces at the same interface, gage widening and rail rollover, vehicle lateral instability, high wheel loads and their effect on switch components and the forces on the rail that can be generated by hollow worn wheels. The mechanisms of the derailments caused by each of these scenarios can be described as follows:

Wheel Climb
While a train wheel or wheelset rolls along the track on its tread, some guidance is provided by the steering ability of the coned or profiled tread as the track changes direction. However, it is the flange of the wheel ultimately contacting the gage face of the rail that really forces the wheel to follow the rail and change direction. The forces generated between the wheel and the rail can be resolved into two components - the lateral force (L) and the vertical force (V). These force components are illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Wheel/Rail Contact Forces

In order for a wheel's flange to climb up the gage face of a rail and over the rail head to the outside of the track, the wheel lateral and vertical forces must be such that the vertical force that acts to keep the wheel on the rail is overcome by the lateral force and the friction forces that exist between the wheel's flange and the gage face of the rail. The ratio of lateral force to vertical force that must be exceeded in order for the wheel climb scenario to exist is specified by Nadal's Limit, a criterion that is defined as follows:

where ì is the coefficient of friction between the wheel and the rail and a is wheel flange angle as illustrated in Figure 1.

Gage Widening and Rail Rollover
The problems that can be encountered with excessive wheel/rail interaction forces are not limited to wheel climb scenarios. For instance, if the lateral force generated by the flange contact between the wheel and the rail is relatively high, this force can cause lateral rail displacement. This rail displacement produces what is known as gage widening and can lead to a wheel/rail separation as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Illustration of Gage Widening

Rail rollover, as shown in the left side of Figure 3, is one of the most common sources of accidents especially when the vehicle travels over the spiral transition between tangent, or straight, track and the full body of a curve. The critical value of L/V for rail rollover is approximated by the ratio D/H with D and H defined as per the illustration on the right side Figure 3. If the moment generated by the lateral force is higher than the moment generated by the vertical force, the rail can rotate about its corner.

Figure 3. Illustration of Rail Rollover

High Wheel Loads and Their Effect on Switch Components
As a wheel passes over the switch point and the tip of the stock rail, a high lateral pressure on the tip of the switch point will be generated. This can lead to battering of the switch point and the eventual fracture of the stock rail. This situation, in combination with thin, high flanges, can lead to the scenario where the wheels can get caught on the switch point and allow the wheel to ride up on the switch components.

Vehicle Lateral Instability
The wheels of rail vehicles are tapered in order to allow for the wheelset to steer down the track. Small lateral displacements of the wheelset will result in the steering of the wheelset back and forth between the rails in an oscillatory or "swaying" motion. When that oscillatory motion of the wheelset and the vehicle continues to grow in amplitude as the vehicle moves down the track, the vehicle is said to be experiencing lateral instability.

For each vehicle there is a specific speed known as the critical speed, above which the vehicle will exhibit lateral instability. This speed is highly dependent on the characteristics of the vehicle suspension systems, mass and mass moment of inertia of the vehicle bodies, and the wheel profile. In general, track irregularities push the wheelset laterally. If the vehicle speed is above its critical speed, the wheelset lateral motion has the tendency to grow. The lateral motion of the wheelset will be limited only by the wheel flange coming in contact with the gage face of the rail. In the case of severe lateral instability, high forces can result from the impact of the wheels on the rail that can lead to damage of the track and create conditions that could eventually lead to derailments.

The Effect of Hollow Worn Wheels
When a wheel exhibits significant wear on its tread to the point where a rut is formed around the circumference of the wheel around the center of the tread, it is said to be a hollow worn wheel. A typical measurement of hollow wheel tread is taken as the vertical depth of the lowest point on the tread of the wheel from a straight edge established as the plane of the original unworn design tread taper. This measurement procedure is illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Example of a Hollow Worn Wheel

Two conditions of concern can exist with hollow worn wheels. As the tread wears, the tip of the wheel flange "moves" further away from the top of the rail, creating a condition where the top of the flange is considered to be high and can strike switch components. Hollow worn wheels also adversely affect the steering of the truck and can increase the potential for derailment. A hollow tread can result in a shift of the wheel/rail contact location to the field side of the rail, thereby increasing the amount of vertical force that is located outside the gage of the rail. This situation can significantly increase the potential for rail roll and ultimately to a rail rollover derailment.

Strategies to Consider for the Prevention of Derailments

There is no easy way to provide complete protection from derailment. It requires commitment and diligence on the part of the operator to implement and adhere to sound practices aimed at minimizing or eliminating those factors that can contribute to a derailment scenario. Based on the discussion presented to this point, the following strategies are offered for consideration during the development of a derailment prevention strategy:

No industry can fully eliminate the occurrence of human error. In an effort to minimize these errors, operators need to be vigilant in enforcing their training requirements for all personnel. Just as critical, however, operators must be able to objectively analyze and, when necessary, modify policies and training when issues arise to mitigate the chances of human error leading to a derailment.
A critical component to the prevention of derailments is reliable track and vehicle inspection practices. Operators should consider being proactive in developing their inspection strategy. Detection of incipient component failures should be a top priority for operators. The measurement of the response of the vehicle to track can be a very effective means of identifying track locations of concern.
Railroads and transit operators must also aggressively perform maintenance as required. An operator with optimal inspection practices are only part way through an effective derailment prevention strategy. To that end, the following suggestions for key aspects of a maintenance strategy are offered:
- Proper wheel flanges must be established and maintained. When wheels with a shallow flange angle encounter a low joint or a brand new switch point (with a "scaly" or "rusty" high-friction surface), a derailment can result.
- In addition to the level of attention that is required for wheel flanges, the operator should routinely inspect wheels for flaws that can lead to flats and identify wheels exhibiting hollow worn treads for remediation to reduce the risk of gage widening and rail rollover. Restoration of the wheel profile can also lead to improved vehicle stability and hence reduce the potential for derailments due to lateral instability.
- Those responsible for vehicle maintenance should maintain suspension clearances and springs to assure trucks equalize properly. It is important to note that some truck designs are more sensitive to spring problems than others. Manufacturer's tolerances should be followed closely.
- Lubrication of center plate of the track will reduce the generated resisting moment to the steering moment during curve negotiation. The use of proper lubrication will reduce the required force for steering and hence reduce the tendency of derailment in curves.
A sound friction management program should be established to address rail wear and friction throughout an operation - either through track-based systems, vehicle-based mechanisms or a combination of both. Friction management can be a critical element of a successful derailment prevention strategy.
In addition to being aggressive about performing maintenance on track infrastructure upon awareness of issues, additional steps can be taken with the right-of-way that can provide protection against derailments:
- Limit warp to no more than one inch in 10 feet (or less depending on axle spacing associated with the vehicles on the system) and no more than two inches in 60 feet (truck center spacing) to protect against wheel unloading.
- Install guard rail on sharp curves to avoid wheel climb. Guard rail can also reduce the gage wear of high rail. In general, the guard rails are installed inside of the low rail. For very sharp curves, it is recommended to install guard rails on both the inside and outside rails.
The characteristics of a vehicle's suspension system are critical to its susceptibility to wheel unloading and derailment. A soft primary suspension will provide better steering of the truck over curved track, hence reducing applied lateral forces on the track that cause derailment. However, the use of very soft primary suspension may affect the vehicle's lateral stability. Optimized characteristics of the primary suspension may be required in case of high-speed trains.
Perhaps the most important component of a derailment prevention strategy is the proper attention to VTI management. This is a subject that should concern both track and vehicle maintainers, but overall responsibility is often an issue. In most cases, it's split between track and vehicle maintenance and operations. Regardless of who is responsible, it is extremely important that someone in the operations "own" the responsibility for VTI-related issues.

About ENSCO, Inc.

For more than 35 years, ENSCO has been a leading provider of railway safety technologies throughout the world. ENSCO is committed to the delivery of new solutions to improve rail safety and performance and is the rail industry's premier source for track inspection; vehicle/track interaction consulting; railroad safety and security; and railroad asset management technology.