History and Timeline

Richard Bacon from Granby, Connecticut visits George Smith in Cornwall and becomes agent for the sale of Safety Fuse in the United States obtaining the American Patent.

Partnership established with a foreman, Joseph Eales from Cornwall, establishing Bacon, Bickford, Eales & Co. in Simsbury, Connecticut.

First American Safety Fuse made.

Primacord^® detonating cord is trademarked.

Formation of Space Ordnance Division. E-B contributes to all early NASA programs – Mercury, Gemini & Apollo.

New Primacord® detonating cord plant opens in Graham, Kentucky.

Introduction of Nonel^® shock tube and Primadet^® detonators.

Confined Detonating Cord (CDF) for the space shuttle is pioneered.

Opening of PETN facility in Graham, Kentucky, EBCo’s largest undertaking to date.

The Space Ordnance Division becomes Ensign Bickford Aerospace Company (EBAC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of EBCo, later to become Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company.

EBCo forms NAX (North American Explosives) in partnership with Royal Ordnance.

Caleb Ensign White is appointed president and CEO and Joseph Ensign Lovejoy Jr. is appointed chairman of Ensign-Bickford Industries. EBAD acquires Shock Tube Systems, Inc.

Acquisition of NEA Electronics, Inc. and SDI Defense and Aerospace.

Acquisition of a state-of-the-art energetics manufacturing complex in Moorpark, California.

Partnership established with Tactical Energetic Entry Systems (TEES) to offer international training in explosive breaching and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) defeat.

NEA® Electronics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company closes on its acquisition of Rocketstar Robotics, Inc.

Acquisition of TiNi™ Aerospace, Inc.

Acquisition of Honeybee Robotics

Acquisition of Avior Controls

Creation of EBI Space & Defense becomes two separate business models of; EBAD with product lines TiNi™ and NEA®, and Honeybee and Avior