Hazeltine Corporation
Encyclopedia
Hazeltine Corporation was a defense electronics company which is now part of BAE Systems Inc.
patent of Dr. Alan Hazeltine
. Headquartered in Greenlawn, Long Island
, New York
, since 1955, it had facilities in several other locations throughout Long Island, including its Wheeler Labs facility in Smithtown, New York, a manufacturing plant in Riverhead, NY and a division in Braintree, Massachusetts. The company originally concentrated on the design of electronic circuits and the licencing of patents. Innovations in radio, monochrome and later color television allowed the company to grow. One particularly lucrative design was the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit. This was such a useful feature that almost every AM radio made used this feature, under license from Hazeltine, from about 1930 until the patent ran out. Hazeltine Corporation also developed and licensed many of the basic concepts of the NTSC color television system.
The company flourished into the 1980s as a United States Federal defense contractor
with particular success as a designer and manufacturer of "Identification Friend or Foe" IFF
military detection and identification systems. In the 1970s, as an outgrowth of its defense work, Hazeltine Corp. developed the Hazeltine Terminal, an early monochrome
computer terminal
, eventually selling that line to a short-lived third party called Esprit, which was run by ex-Hazeltine employees.
Hazeltine was acquired by the Emerson Electric Company
in 1986. In 1990, Emerson demerged its Government and Defense Group (including Hazeltine) to form ESCO Electronics Corporation. In 1996, Hazeltine was acquired from ESCO by GEC-Marconi Electronic Systems Corp., a US subsidiary of The General Electric Company
, and renamed GEC-Marconi Hazeltine. ESCO was represented by investment banking firm Quarterdeck Investment Partners, Inc. in a deal which valued Hazeltine at $110 million. The transaction was a turning point in the acquisition of U.S. companies with sensitive defense technologies being acquired by non-U.S. corporations.
With the 1999 merger of GEC-Marconi and British Aerospace
to form BAE Systems
, GEC-Marconi Hazeltine was renamed BAE Systems Advanced Systems. In 2002, it was renamed BAE Systems CNIR (Communication, Navigation, Identification and Reconnaissance). In a 2007 reorganization, the division was folded into BAE Systems Electronics and Integrated Solutions
and is currently called BAE Systems Sensor Systems.
BAE Systems Inc.
BAE Systems Inc. is a major subsidiary of the British defense and aerospace company BAE Systems plc. As per its Special Security Agreement, BAE Systems Inc...
History
The company was founded in 1924 by investors to exploit the NeutrodyneNeutrodyne
The Neutrodyne was a particular type of Tuned Radio Frequency radio receiver, in which the instability-causing inter-electrode capacitance of the triode RF tubes is cancelled out or "neutralized"...
patent of Dr. Alan Hazeltine
Louis Alan Hazeltine
Louis Alan Hazeltine was an engineer and physicist, the inventor of the Neutrodyne circuit, and the Hazeltine-Fremodyne Superregenerative circuit. He was the founder of the Hazeltine Corporation....
. Headquartered in Greenlawn, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, since 1955, it had facilities in several other locations throughout Long Island, including its Wheeler Labs facility in Smithtown, New York, a manufacturing plant in Riverhead, NY and a division in Braintree, Massachusetts. The company originally concentrated on the design of electronic circuits and the licencing of patents. Innovations in radio, monochrome and later color television allowed the company to grow. One particularly lucrative design was the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit. This was such a useful feature that almost every AM radio made used this feature, under license from Hazeltine, from about 1930 until the patent ran out. Hazeltine Corporation also developed and licensed many of the basic concepts of the NTSC color television system.
The company flourished into the 1980s as a United States Federal defense contractor
Defense contractor
A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems...
with particular success as a designer and manufacturer of "Identification Friend or Foe" IFF
IFF
IFF, Iff or iff may refer to:Technology/Science:* Identification friend or foe, an electronic radio-based identification system using transponders...
military detection and identification systems. In the 1970s, as an outgrowth of its defense work, Hazeltine Corp. developed the Hazeltine Terminal, an early monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
computer terminal
Computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displaying data from, a computer or a computing system...
, eventually selling that line to a short-lived third party called Esprit, which was run by ex-Hazeltine employees.
Hazeltine was acquired by the Emerson Electric Company
Emerson Electric Company
Emerson Electric Company is a major multinational corporation headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri, United States. This Fortune 500 company manufactures products and provides engineering services for a wide range of industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.Emerson is one of the largest...
in 1986. In 1990, Emerson demerged its Government and Defense Group (including Hazeltine) to form ESCO Electronics Corporation. In 1996, Hazeltine was acquired from ESCO by GEC-Marconi Electronic Systems Corp., a US subsidiary of The General Electric Company
The General Electric Company plc
The General Electric Company or GEC was a major British-based industrial conglomerate, involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications and engineering. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was renamed Marconi Corporation plc in 1999 after its defence arm,...
, and renamed GEC-Marconi Hazeltine. ESCO was represented by investment banking firm Quarterdeck Investment Partners, Inc. in a deal which valued Hazeltine at $110 million. The transaction was a turning point in the acquisition of U.S. companies with sensitive defense technologies being acquired by non-U.S. corporations.
With the 1999 merger of GEC-Marconi and British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
to form BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
, GEC-Marconi Hazeltine was renamed BAE Systems Advanced Systems. In 2002, it was renamed BAE Systems CNIR (Communication, Navigation, Identification and Reconnaissance). In a 2007 reorganization, the division was folded into BAE Systems Electronics and Integrated Solutions
BAE Systems Electronics and Integrated Solutions
BAE Systems Electronics, Intelligence & Support is one of two operating groups of BAE Systems Inc., the North American subsidiary of UK-based BAE Systems.-History:...
and is currently called BAE Systems Sensor Systems.
