For Isothermal Systems Research Inc., a Clarkston, Wash.-based defense contractor that opened a Liberty Lake operation last year, a lot will be riding on a flight test that the U.S. Navy will conduct in September.


The test, involving an EA-6B Prowler aircraft, will demonstrate to the Navy whether ISRs patented SprayCool technology works in a high-heat, high-G-force environment to cool electronic components in the radar-jamming strike-support jets power supply, says Tony Vengel, the companys director of contracts and business management.


The results will be of interest to other branches of the armed services, as well as to other government contractors such as Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., Vengel predicts.


ISRs technology involves cooling electronic components by sealing them in an enclosure and spraying them with a fluid that vaporizes; the vapor then travels through a heat exchanger where its condensed, dissipating the heat, and is collected to be re-sprayed onto the electronic components. In a high-stress environment, such as that found in the Prowlers power supply, heat fluctuations can cause low reliability of electronic components, Vengel says.


Everybody is sort of watching the flight test unfold. If we receive positive input from that, we would actively go out and seek customers, he says. Results should be available soon after the test.


ISR isnt sitting around until then.


It expects revenues of about $21 million this year, up from a little over $2 million just two years ago, Vengel says. Almost all of those revenues stem from government contracts, he says.


ISR, which is privately held, was founded in 1988 by Don Tilton and his brother, Charles. It now employs about 60 people in its year-old Liberty Lake office, which provides engineering and program management, and another 70 in Clarkston. ISR employed about 100 overall this time last year. The company plans to move another handful of people to Liberty Lake from Clarkston by September, at which time the facility here will become ISRs corporate headquarters.


It currently occupies about a third of its 47,000-square-foot Liberty Lake building, at 2218 N. Molter, but is expanding and likely will occupy the entire structure by this time next year, Vengel says. He says he cant predict the companys employment at that time, however, because its too dependent on what contracts ISR lands between now and then. When ISR opened in Liberty Lake last August, company officials predicted that the office here would employ up to 150 people within 18 months.


Currently, ISRs research and development and manufacturing are in Clarkston, where theyll likely remain for some time, Vengel says. Nonetheless, he adds, We are in the planning stages of establishing our long-term manufacturing strategy to include locations of the facility, and Liberty Lake is definitely one of the options for that facility.


ISR also is applying for a second multi-year research contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Divisionthe same funding source that helped it develop the prototype for the Prowler test flightthat would be worth about $49 million, Vengel says. The initial research contract was for $35 million, under which the cooling unit for the Prowler was developed and other projects are being done.


ISR also expects in 18 months to begin production of a SprayCool unit to be used in the Marine Corps Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV). That contract could escalate in 2007 to production of 1,000 to 3,000 units, Vengel says, although he declines to say how much the contract is worth. ISR recently was honored by the Department of Defense for its work on the AAAV program because using SprayCool technology is expected to save the Marine Corps about $300 million over the life of the program.


Eventually, ISR will need to create a new division to provide service and support under the AAAV program, Vengel adds.