National Technical Systems to Showcase Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Payload POD At AUVSI North America Conference

CALABASAS, Calif., July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- National Technical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of testing and engineering services, announced today that it will showcase its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Payload POD at the upcoming Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) North America conference from August 6-9 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The annual AUVSI North America, which draws hundreds of manufacturers, is considered the largest and most highly attended UAV conference of the year.

NTS first unveiled its UAV Payload POD in June. Created by NTS engineers, the lightweight, Shadow-class "Multi-Mission, Multi-Payload POD" weighs less than five pounds and is designed to support a 25-pound payload capacity per wing of the AAI Shadow UAV. This particular POD has garnished enthusiastic support from a variety of vendors and is indicative of the kind of engineering and design capabilities that NTS can offer, said Michael Mindt, NTS Market Director, Aerospace.

"We are committed to expanding our presence in this rapidly growing international market and our Payload POD provides a great example of what we can offer our clients," said Mindt, who will attend the show and help exhibit the POD. "We offer a true end-to-end UAV service, meaning we can help design and integrate a payload, help build a POD, test UAVs, and even fly missions if a client wants. Our Payload POD was built for the Shadow UAV, but we can develop a POD for a variety of UAV configurations and a variety of uses."

A key design element of the NTS Payload POD is the RF (radiofrequency) transparency of the bottom half of the shell, allowing radio antennas to be placed inside which protects them and helps with aerodynamics, Mindt added.  A POD is basically an empty shell that carries a payload on a UAV.

Market research estimates the global UAV market at about $15 billion this year, with growth to up to $20 billion annually by 2020. Part of the reason for the growth is the FAA is opening up air space to commercial activities.

At the AUVSI conference, NTS will be exhibiting in Booth # 3710.

About National Technical Systems
National Technical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of testing and engineering services to the aerospace, defense, telecommunications, automotive and high technology markets. Through a world-wide network of resources, NTS provides full product life-cycle support, offering world class design engineering, compliance, testing, certification, quality registration and program management. For additional information about NTS, visit our website at www.nts.com or call 800-270-2516.

Forward-Looking Statements
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"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding National Technical Systems' business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.

SOURCE National Technical Systems, Inc.