Westar buys SimAuthor for $8 million in cash
Aerospace firm acquires Colorado software company

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

From staff reports
Huntsville Times

Westar Aerospace & Defense Group Inc., which has operations in Huntsville, has acquired Colorado-based SimAuthor, Inc. in an all-cash transaction for approximately $8 million.

SimAuthor is a software and services company that specializes in flight data visualization and simulation technology. With offices in Washington and Boulder, Colo., SimAuthor provides flight operation quality assurance analysis to the Navy, Army, and other industry leaders in the flight simulation business.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., Westar is a systems engineering contractor with more than $200 million in annual sales and 1,100 professionals around the world providing engineering, programmatic, and logistics solutions to the Department of Defense and allied governments. Westar employs about 400 at its Huntsville facilities.

"SimAuthor's experience and expertise will strengthen Westar's ability to develop innovative technologies that reduce operating and support costs, as well as improve logistical efficiencies," said Robert Topping, president & CEO of Westar. "We are extremely pleased to have them join the Westar family."

Westar is a wholly owned subsidiary of UK-based QinetiQ, an international defense and security technology company with about 2,500 employees in the U.S.