COLUMBIA, Md., Jan. 8 -- Essex Corp. announced it has received four new defense-related contracts for systems engineering and integration, the delivery of custom systems for sensitive defense applications and a new innovation research award. The new contracts total $8.5 million, with base-year funding of $5.5 million. The largest of the new contracts, for $4.5 million, is a two-year prime contract involving major contributions from team members Engineering Solutions Inc. and Lockheed Martin Corp. Essex is a subcontractor for two of the awards. The innovation award is a prime contract for a first-stage, nine-month effort to design a high-speed analog-to-digital converter using optical components. Essex said this device will significantly outpace the state-of-the-art in bandwidth, resolution and speed and will have potential applications in commercial and government markets. For more information, visit: www.essexcorp.com