Ridgetop Group Signs Contract with Boeing for Prognostic Condition-Based Maintenance Technology Development

TUCSON, Ariz.-- January 12, 2012 -- Ridgetop Group Inc. announces the award of a 30-month contract with The Boeing Company in Mesa, AZ to supply advanced condition-based maintenance (CBM) technology for Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopter. Ridgetop will be supporting Boeing in the development of prognostic models for the Apache’s electrical system, to predict the remaining useful life of selected electrical components and wiring. The use of prognostics, with indicators for the state of health of internal components, supports proactive maintenance by determining the quality of performance of these components and their impact on the system as a whole. Prognostics will enable vast improvements over the current maintenance approach, which is reactive to faults and failures that occur. Reactive maintenance translates into high operational costs due to extensive aircraft downtime.

This contract award will help maintain Ridgetop Group’s continued growth in the Southwest region. Ridgetop has been collaborating with Boeing on CBM and radiation-hardened related projects since 2006.

“Ridgetop’s solution will help mature advanced embedded diagnostics and prognostics methods for critical electrical components on the Apache,” said Sonia Vohnout, Director of Business Development, Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics at Ridgetop. “This CBM contract allows us to further demonstrate our capabilities as a market leader in advanced electronic prognostics in addition to providing a tool that supports maintenance cost savings for aircraft. We are looking forward to delivering the results of our work for this project and demonstrating an integrated solution by the end of this contract.”

About Ridgetop Group

Based in Tucson, Arizona, Ridgetop Group is the world leader in providing advanced electronic prognostics and health management (PHM) solutions, semiconductors for harsh environments, and built-in self-test (BIST) solutions for critical applications. The company maintains business divisions for advanced radiation-hardened microelectronics and electronic PHM solutions for electronic sensing and control applications. Founded in 2000, Ridgetop has built an impressive list of aerospace, automotive, and medical systems customers in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please contact Sonia Vohnout at +1 520-742-3300, or visit our website at www.RidgetopGroup.com.