The U.S. Senate on Saturday approved a defense appropriations bill that will provide $2.8 million for research at one Missoula business and $1.6 million at another.

TerraEchos, a high-tech business founded by Missoula entrepreneur Alex Philip, specializes in surveillance systems that use lasers for remote sensing and detection.

The company, which is now partly owned by S&K Technologies, has created a system called Adelos, which "provides state-of-the-art covert surveillance and intelligence sensor capabilities within a distributed situational awareness environment."

The $2.8 million in money approved Saturday is for defense research and will "improve site security at many of the nation's sensitive military locations," according to a press statement issued by Sen. Jon Tester's office.

The other appropriation goes to St. Patrick Hospital to help develop a high-tech skin graft made of animal tissue. The graft would be used to treat injuries on the battlefield, the release states.

"These dollars will create good-paying jobs in Missoula while investing in cutting-edge research that will make our troops and our country safer," said Tester.