In January 2005 United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE: UDI) expanded its capabilities in the design and production of specialized armament containers for military and aerospace systems by acquiring Engineered Plastic Designs, Inc., doing business as EPD Container Solutions, of Berthoud, Colorado. EPD Container Solutions is a full service provider of specialized containers for military munitions, such as missiles and bombs, as well as containers to handle and transport major subassemblies from aircraft and space systems. Examples of containers currently produced for Air Force, Navy and Army needs are the Sidewinder Missile container, the Joint Air Surface Standoff Missile container, the Air Launch Glide Missile container, and the Longbow/Hellfire II missile container. EPD Container Solutions provides sophisticated design, development, and prototyping services combined with modern manufacturing and test facilities to quickly meet customer needs for high or low volume production runs. The company routinely supports prime contractors working for the Air Force, Army, and Navy with primary emphasis on aircraft weapons. At the time of acqusirion, the company employed 75 personnel. Just a few months later, United Defense was itself acquired by BAE Systems.
