[Satellite Today 04-02-09] Rockwell Collins Inc., a government and commercial communications solution provider, will acquire DataPath Inc. for about $130 million, DataPath announced April 1.
    DataPath and its subsidiary, Swe-Dish AB, a satellite manufacturer based in Stockholm, will operate as wholly owned subsidiaries of Rockwell Collins.
    Of the $130 million used to acquire DataPath, about $110 million will be used to pay DataPath’s debt and other obligations. The remaining $19.6 million will be distributed to holders of DataPath’s common stock, at 42 cents per share, in exchange for all issued and outstanding shares.
    The merger is not subject to a financing condition and has been approved by the DataPath board, which has recommended that the merger be approved by DataPath’s shareholders. The parties said that they expect the merger to be completed in the second quarter.
    DataPath recently received a string of orders from the U.S. Army for Ka- and Ku-band terminals, including various military orders on a Joint Network Node/Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (JNN/WIN-T) program contract, worth a potential $270 million, of which $147 million had already been awarded to the company.