ITT in Talks to Sell Radar Units to Egypt

The Egyptians have ITT Industries on their radar screen.

The government of Egypt has asked for U.S. permission to buy air defense radar equipment worth nearly $182 million from the White Plains, N.Y.-based company’s Gilfillan division in Van Nuys, according to the Defense Department.

Egypt would buy six three-dimensional land-based radar devices and receive training to use them under the proposed sale, which would allow the country’s military forces to monitor the skies for threatening aircraft or missiles. Several ITT workers and U.S. officials would be assigned to Egypt for up to a year to help install the equipment and train the Egyptians to use it, the Pentagon said.

The general manager of ITT’s Gilfillan division, Joe Macias, said contract negotiations are continuing and that no decision has been made.

The discussions would probably conclude by December. Pentagon officials said the proposed sale to Egypt would help increase the nation’s security.

ITT, which makes water pumps and telecommunications switches in addition to defense equipment, earned $233 million on sales of $4.63 billion in 1999.

About 400 workers build air-defense and traffic-control radar products at the company’s 40-acre manufacturing plant in the Valley. Technicians test the devices at Van Nuys Airport, Fox Field in the Antelope Valley and in Loop Canyon in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Gilfillan brothers first built military radar systems during World War II, and their business was sold to ITT in 1964.