Mercury Systems rolls out first product following $15M microelectronics investment

Mercury Systems today unveiled the first commercially available offering in its trusted system-in-package family, following a $15 million investment last year to expand its microelectronics packaging business.

The company said its RFS1080 product provides high-speed RF processing and will support radar, electronic warfare and 5G communications.

Last year, Mercury said it would invest to expand the scope of its custom microelectronics business in Phoenix.

"What we're enabling are dramatic SWAP -- size, weight and power -- improvements," Mark Aslett, Mercury's chief executive, said at the time.

Tom Smelker, who heads Mercury's microsystems group, told Inside Defense this week that the company got out to a quick start, but was slightly slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID hit, but didn't stop us," he said. "We've been progressing and moving a little bit slower than we originally planned."

He said the RFS1080 brings digital processing closer to the sensor and offers integrated security.

Smelker said Mercury has spoken directly with Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord about the new capabilities.

Mercury said its technology "directly satisfies the DOD's requirement for onshore manufacturing of critical state-of-the-art microelectronics."