Cubic makes deal for secure comm outfit Nuvotronics

Cubic Corp. said Thursday it has acquired radio frequency device manufacturer Nuvotronics for $64 million in cash to further grow a portfolio of secure communications technologies.

Nuvotronics builds antennas, filters and combiners for customers in the U.S. government, defense industry and commercial sectors.

The Durham, North Carolina-based company was founded in 2008 and its cornerstone creation is PolyStrata, a manufacturing process developed with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to enable RF component production.

Mike Twyman, president of Cubic’s mission solutions business, said in a release the deal also helps “position Cubic to “address additional high-priority, dual-use technology markets in space, electronic warfare, hypersonic and 5G communications.”

For San Diego-based Cubic, its purchase of Nuvotronics marks another step in the defense and transportation contractor’s ongoing shift toward a more technology-centric portfolio with “C4ISR” offerings a key component of that.

Cubic divested its services business in June of last year and has set a goal of $2 billion in revenue by its 2020 fiscal year with acquisitions a part of that thrust. The company made two acquisitions last year, one for video processing software provider MotionDSP and a second for unmanned aircraft technology maker Shield Aviation.

Cubic could make up to $8 million in additional earn-out payments based on future performance of Nuvotronics.