Ralph Werner rewires one of the original Humvees that were sent to Iraq at the L-3 Communications plant in Salt Lake City. The system is part of a ground satellite dish system used for field communications.

Other articles by Paul Foy:

Utah mayor set to shave impressive handlebar mustache for charityMortgage crisis staggers high-end developmentsNavajos split over new coal power plant Cousin of man who may have been sickened by deadly toxin ricin accused of cover-up Big snowmelt cheers Lake Powell boaters Utah plans pipeline to carry Lake Powell water to growing populationTour bus struck guardrail, flipped once, investigators say Team seeks clues at site of bus wreck that killed 9 Vick's pit bulls sitting pretty at Utah sanctuary Wildfires get worse; chiefs less willing to risk their crews' lives

Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Health Care
CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator

SALT LAKE CITY — A division of defense contractor L-3 Communications is looking to make its first nonmilitary sales of technology that gives U.S. field commanders a bird's-eye view of the battlefield.

Communications Systems-West is pitching the $50,000 Rover III Manpack for mountain rescues, law enforcement and U.S. border patrols, said Susan Opp, vice president of strategic development.

The Rover, a high-speed wireless data transmission system that can fit in a suitcase, works off aircraft-mounted cameras, projecting detailed images to a rugged laptop on the ground.

It also can work with infrared cameras, which detect a person's body heat and are often used by aircraft in Utah to find lost hikers and skiers.

Some lost hikers are never found in Utah's rugged mountains, and the Rover could turn the odds in their favor by transmitting images from aircraft to ground, where they could be studied in greater detail, said Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard, who was given a recent demonstration.

The operations of L-3's Salt Lake City division have been kept under wraps for 50 years, since its inception and through several ownership changes.

Now with the push for nonmilitary sales, Communications Systems-West is raising its public profile. Executives made a recent call on Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, trying to sell the Rover to the Utah Department of Public Safety.

The company invited The Associated Press for a tour last week and said it was the first time any news organization had been allowed to glimpse its operations.

In a shop where about 20 people assemble and test Rover Manpacks, a wall-mounted counter tallied the number of units shipped out — 785 since 2004, many to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The company's biggest customers are the U.S. Air Force and Army, which are expected to buy hundreds more Rovers. The company also is designing a smaller, iPod-sized variation.

Another L-3 division makes a Dick Tracy-style watch with a screen that can show moving images from aircraft, satellites or spy drones. The WAVE — for Wrist Attached Video Equipment — is useful for special operations, company officials said.

Communications Systems-West occupies buildings next to Salt Lake's airport, where it ships out enough communications parts and gear to fill a Home Depot catalog. It also retrofits military Humvees with transmitting gear and foldable satellite disks, some carried by trailer.

"Our job is to move data from point A to point B" hundreds of times faster than the best Internet connection, said Curtis Brunson, an engineer and president of Communications Systems-West.

"We build broadband communications systems mainly in support of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance for manned and unmanned systems."

One of 65 business units of New York-based L-3 Communications, the Salt Lake company employs 3,050 people, a figure that's up by 353 in the past 16 months.

"We've been hiring like mad," tapping Utah's engineering schools for talent, Brunson said. "We are one of the fastest-growing companies in Utah."

Comm West, as it's known, hopes to boost profits even further with nonmilitary sales of an array of encrypted communications and navigation products.

Much of the expensive stuff is handmade to military specifications. The electronics must withstand the rigors of desert fighting and pressures at 60,000 feet aloft.

L-3 was spun off in 1997 by Lockheed Martin Corp., although the Utah division has been around since 1956, first as Sperry Utah Engineering Laboratories. L-3, the No. 6 U.S. defense contractor, has grown rapidly since 1997 through acquisitions, reporting $9.4 billion in revenue last year, up from $2.3 billion in 2001.

In a conference room, Brunson projected a slide of Comm West's payroll, which has grown to $173.5 million from $92.4 million in 2001.

"I like to use this chart when I meet with the governor — especially when I'm asking for something," he said.