Essex' Adaptive Optics Associates Receives STAR Award from Lockheed Martin

December 25 2006

Essex Corporation (Nasdaq: KEYW) announces that its Adaptive Optics Associates (AOA) subsidiary has been presented the ESBA STAR award by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration. This was awarded for achieving the highest level of quality, delivery, affordability, communications and program management as a preferred supplier to Lockheed Martin. Only 82 out of 11,000 of Lockheed's ESBA suppliers have achieved that distinction.

"The Lockheed Electronics Systems Business Area (ESBA) award is given to foster strong, ongoing business relationships and to facilitate ongoing business opportunities. AOA has distinguished themselves as a supplier at the highest levels of performance," said Craig Sullivan, Subcontract Program Manager.

Adaptive Optics Associates has been supplying sophisticated electro- optical systems for nearly three decades. AOA has been a supplier to Lockheed for the Automated Parcel Processing System (APPS), and several other programs. The AOA portion of the APPS configuration includes parcel singulation detection, typing, tracking and dimensioning as part of the U.S. Postal Service's small package processing capabilities. For this program, AOA has produced approximately 125 data collection subsystems. This effort began in 2002 with a $6.8 million subcontract award from Lockheed Martin.

"For AOA the APPS program involved the design, volume production, and support of a very sophisticated and challenging Electro-Optic system," said Jeffrey Yorsz, General Manager of Adaptive Optics. "I'm honored that Lockheed has chosen to recognize our efforts with the STAR award and appreciate the great teamwork that they have fostered throughout the program. The APPS team has set a high standard of performance. It is one we strive for in all of our present and future contracts."

"The acumen and accolades that AOA continues to receive from its customers were an important part of Essex' decision to acquire them," according to Leonard Moodispaw, CEO and President of Essex Corporation. "We congratulate the AOA team on this prestigious award and welcome their contribution to Essex' reputation for long term, high quality customer relationships."

About Essex: Essex provides advanced signal, image, information processing, information assurance and cyber-security solutions, for U.S. Government intelligence and defense customers as well as for select commercial customers. We create our solutions by combining our services and expertise with hardware, software, and proprietary and patented technology to meet our customers' requirements. For more information contact Essex Corporation, 6708 Alexander Bell Drive, Columbia MD 21046-2100; Phone 301.939.7000; Fax 301.953.7880; E-mail info@essexcorp.com, or on the Web at http://www.essexcorp.com.

About Adaptive Optics Associates: AOA, a subsidiary of Essex Corporation, designs, develops and manufactures a wide variety of standard and custom electro-optic and opto-mechanical products. AOA has steadily expanded its engineering and manufacturing capabilities to provide its customers with the highest quality products, systems and services. AOA has an extensive history of selling to government, scientific and industrial customers. More information is available on the Web at http://www.aoainc.com.

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainty and changes in circumstances, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance or achievements. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature are forward looking. Economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting Essex's businesses are examples of factors, among others, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are also expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in Essex's SEC filings, including its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K. Essex is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact: Leonard E. Moodispaw

Chairman, CEO & President

1-301-939-7000