General Dynamics buys TriPoint Global

General Dynamics Corp. acquired TriPoint Global Communications Inc., a provider of ground-based satellite and wireless equipment and integration services for video, voice and data applications, the company said today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Newton, N.C.-based TriPoint is a privately held supplier of base station and Earth station communications products and services, VSAT antennas and antenna systems, and wireless backhaul products. Its VertexRSI, Prodelin and Gabriel brands provide solutions for global satellite and wireless communication requirements.

TriPoint employs about 1,450 workers in 14 locations in the United States and abroad. The company will become part of General Dynamics C4 Systems business unit that specializes in command and control, communications networking, computing and information assurance for defense, government and select commercial customers in the United States.

"This acquisition enables us to expand our product offerings to our traditional strategic and tactical communications customer base, and gives us new capabilities to meet the developing mobile 'communications on the move' requirements of defense and other government customers," said Mark Fried, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems.

General Dynamics is a defense contractor in Falls Church, Va. It has 69,400 employees and had 2003 revenue of $16.6 billion. The company is No. 6 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100 list of government contractors.