Inrad Optics, Inc. (INRD)

[THE MICROCAPITALI$T]

PHPG 1.87....there are several parts to this piece and it will take a couple of minutes to go thru it but I think it is worthwhile to do so. As more pieces of this puzzle come together and more people are introduced to PHPG the company's radar image should gradually rise. And the price should follow. I think they will be back on Nasdaq (or the Amex) soon and if this all plays out like I think it might we could see double digits within a year.
First this:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040603/nyth129_1.html
Then this:
NORTHVALE, NJ, April 8 – Photonic Products Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PHPG) announced today that its INRAD business unit has been awarded a follow-on production contract from ATK Missile Systems’ Clearwater, FL facility for over 1900 ultra violet (UV) waveband optical filter elements for their upgraded AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems. ATK Missile Systems, a division of Alliant Techsystems, is the developer and prime contractor for production of this enhanced performance system for protection of low and slow-flying aircraft from a variety of missile sources. The dollar value of the contract was not disclosed.
The enhanced performance AN/AAR-47 system detects missile launches, as well as laser-guided and laser-aided threats. It employs four sensors per aircraft, each containing several optical components. While primarily deployed on military aircraft, the AN/AAR-47 system is as well capable of providing protection for commercial aircraft. In low-rate production since 2002, this next production release will provide systems for U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. allies’ aircraft.
The subject ultra-violet filters are specialty optical components made from high purity and high uniformity single-crystals of a proprietary material which absorbs all wavelengths except those in the UV region of the electro-magnetic spectrum. This synthetic crystal material was developed by INRAD expressly for such applications, has the highest temperature stability and mechanical stability of any alternative material, and is patented for this end-use. These filters are a key optical component of airborne electro-optical missile warning systems. INRAD has been the sole provider of these elements for the present generation of system for slow-flying aircraft, and had previously produced many thousands for the prior generation of systems. INRAD as well provides proprietary UV filters for systems that protect high-speed aircraft.
Dan Lehrfeld, President and CEO of Photonic Products Group commented, "We are pleased to have been a critical component supplier on ATK’s team since the inception of their system upgrade concept. Our component technology has contributed, at least in part, to making their new AN/AAR-47 system more robust. Missile warning systems remain a high funding priority in the Congress, in the DOD, and increasingly in the Department of Homeland Security. We are proud to be a critical component supplier of choice for this expanding class of defense electro-optical systems.”

Then these:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040513/nyth125_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040426/nym219_1.html
Then these-note the sub-headline-and refer above to PGPH release of 4/8/04
ATK Awarded $14.5 Million Contract for Additional Production of the AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System

Similar Systems Available for Commercial Aircraft Protection

MINNEAPOLIS, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) has received
a $14.5 million production contract from the Naval Air Systems Command,
Patuxent River, Md., for additional AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems and
sensor upgrade kits. The contract represents additional production options to
ATK's existing sensor upgrade contract first awarded in 1998. The kits and
systems will be delivered to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. allies
for integration into various aircraft.
"The AN/AAR-47 system is a battle-proven missile warning system that
quickly can become an aircrew's best friend in combat," said Dave Wise,
president of ATK Missile Systems. "ATK sensors are ideally suited for
identifying the distinctive plume of surface-to air missiles. While primarily
deployed on military aircraft, the AN/AAR-47 system is equally capable of
providing protection for America's commercial aircraft fleet."
ATK Missile Systems, Woodland Hills, Calif., will conduct work under the
contract at its facility in Clearwater, Fla.
The AN/AAR-47 system is an electro-optical missile warning system for low,
slow-flying aircraft. It detects missile launches, from a variety of missile
sources, as well as laser-guided and laser-aided threats. The system
immediately provides a signal to dispense appropriate countermeasures and
displays identified threats to the pilot in the cockpit. The improved sensor
technology awarded under this contract greatly increases the probability of
detection while significantly reducing the false alarm rate.
ATK is a $2.4 billion advanced weapon and space systems company employing
13,200 people in 21 states. News and information can be found on the Internet
at http://www.atk.com .

For more info:

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/altavista/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040609...

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/missiles-04i.html

From BBC article last fall-

New methods
The most alarming new development is the threat from surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). A failed attempt was made in June 2002 to use them in Saudi Arabia to bring down a US military aircraft.
Al-Qaeda operatives tried again in Kenya in November 2002 and narrowly missed shooting down an Israeli airliner with over 200 passengers on board.
In February 2003 there was a full-scale alert at London's Heathrow Airport following a warning passed to the intelligence services that terrorists were looking to shoot down an airliner as it came in to land.
There have also been a number of SAM attacks on aircraft in Chechnya and Iraq.

Reuters article 6-4-04

Friday June 4, 8:27 AM
U.S. seeks help in tracking small missiles


By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will seek international help in tracking shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles that guerrillas have used to shoot down commercial and military aircraft, the U.S. official in charge of aviation security said on Thursday.
"It should be a very aggressive subject of discussion with our international partners," said Asa Hutchinson, the Department of Homeland Security's undersecretary for border and transportation security.
"They have to be engaged in accounting for that and tracking the movement of those," he told the Reuters Air and Defense Summit in Washington.
Last year, the U.S. State Department estimated that more than 40 aircraft had been struck over the years by so-called man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS. Such shoulder-launched missiles have caused at least 24 crashes and more than 600 deaths worldwide, the department said.

Note this article from the Guardian on 5-27-04:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1225012,00.html
And keep in mind the recent release from PHPG ref DIRCM technology and contract award from Northrup Grumman which in part states:
NORTHVALE, N.J., June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Photonic Products Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PHPG - News) announced today that its INRAD business unit has been awarded a production contract for a optical filter component from Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division, based in Rolling Meadows, IL. This production contract is for over 350 ultra violet (UV) waveband optical filter elements for the AN/AAR-54(V) Missile Warning System and the AN/AAQ-24(V) Nemesis DIRCM Self-Protection Suite. The contract also includes two production options of similar quantities. The dollar value of the contract was not disclosed.

All of the above is part of a puzzle that is taking shape rather quickly in my opinion. The ramifications are obvious.