EXHIBIT 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               CONTACT:  Leonard Moodispaw
                                                              President and CEO
                                                                   301.939.7000

                      ESSEX EXPANDS WITH THE ACQUISITION OF
                      SENSYS DEVELOPMENT LABORATORIES, INC.


Columbia,  MD, March 3, 2003 - Essex Corporation  [OTCBB:  ESEX], a developer of
signal processing  algorithms and optical solutions for defense and intelligence
applications,  announced  today  that it has  acquired  privately  owned  Sensys
Development  Laboratories,  Inc. (SDL), a Maryland-based provider of systems and
software  engineering  services to the Intelligence  Community.  SDL's 28 people
will add  approximately  $4 million to 2003 Essex revenues,  projected to exceed
$14 million post-acquisition.

SDL's skills and experience are highly  complementary to Essex core competencies
in image and  signal  processing  technology.  This  acquisition  expands  Essex
resources and capabilities to deliver  information and communications  solutions
to  the  highly  demanding  Intelligence  Community  and  to  future  commercial
accounts.

"We expect Essex's performance in 2003 to reflect significant revenue growth and
bottom-line  improvement  springing from our increasing powerhouse of talent and
technology,"  observed  Leonard  Moodispaw,   Essex  Corporation  CEO.  "We  are
expanding customer relationships, adding new customers and augmenting people and
contracts through organic growth,  strategic  acquisitions and superb execution.
The strengths  brought by SDL amplify the capacities of Essex to supply urgently
needed solutions to the Intelligence Community."

"Our  exciting  and  challenging  business  combination  broadens  the  array of
opportunities in which the SDL team will apply its technical  experience,"  said
Richard  Krauss,  President of SDL. "It opens new avenues for personal growth of
SDL people,  all of whom share the  commitment  to  excellence,  innovation  and
cutting edge technology for which Essex has long been known."

ABOUT ESSEX:  Founded in 1969 with  headquarters  in  Columbia,  MD, Essex is an
experienced and respected optical and  communications  engineering  company that
designs  and builds  creative  solutions  to  complex  problems  for  commercial
telecommunications  and national  defense  organizations.  For more  information
contact  Essex  Corporation,  9150  Guilford  Road,  Columbia  MD  21046;  Phone
301.939.7000;  Fax  301.953.7880;  E-mail  info@essexcorp.com,  or on the Web at
www.essexcorp.com.

THIS PRESS RELEASE  CONTAINS  FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS  WITHIN THE MEANING OF
SECTION 27A OF THE  SECURITIES  ACT OF 1933 AND  SECTION  21E OF THE  SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934. THE COMPANY'S ACTUAL RESULTS COULD DIFFER  MATERIALLY FROM
THOSE DISCUSSED IN OR IMPLIED BY SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS.  FACTORS THAT
MIGHT CAUSE SUCH DIFFERENCES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE ABILITY OF ESSEX
CORPORATION  TO  RAISE  NECESSARY   DEVELOPMENT   FUNDS,  ENTER  INTO  STRATEGIC
RELATIONSHIPS WITH KEY INDUSTRY PARTICIPANTS,  DEVELOP AND BUILD OPTOELECTRONICS
DEVICES  AND  PROTECT  AND  DEFEND ITS  INTELLECTUAL  PROPERTY,  AND  CHANGES IN
TECHNOLOGY,  TECHNICAL  OBSOLESCENCE,  CHANGES IN  CUSTOMER  NEEDS,  NEW PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENTS,  COMPETITIVE  FACTORS IN THE  INDUSTRY AND  UNCERTAINTY  OF MARKET
ACCEPTANCE.   ESSEX   CORPORATION   ASSUMES   NO   OBLIGATION   TO  UPDATE   ANY
FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS,  WHETHER  AS A RESULT  OF NEW  INFORMATION,  FUTURE
EVENTS OR OTHERWISE.

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