29 Mar 05. DRS Technologies, Inc. has received a contract valued at approximately $49m to provide Improved Bradley Acquisition Subsystems (IBAS) for the U.S. Army’s Bradley A3 vehicle program. The Bradley Fighting Vehicles are among the most formidable ground force capabilities in U.S. Army inventory and continue to be an integral part of the military’s operations in Iraq. The IBAS enables vehicle gunners to detect, identify and engage tactical targets at dramatically greater operational ranges, increasing ground force survivability and target lethality. The contract was awarded to DRS by the Ground Systems Division of United Defense Industries, Inc. For this order, DRS will produce, test and provide support services for the IBAS, which includes the Target Acquisition Subsystem (TAS) and Missile Control Subsystem (MCS). This order also will include the new U.S. Army Block 1 B-Kit – a Second Generation Forward Looking Infrared (SG FLIR) system developed as part of the Army’s Horizontal Technology Integration (HTI) initiative. Work for this award will be accomplished by the company’s DRS Optronics unit in Palm Bay, Florida. Product deliveries are expected to commence this October and conclude in July 2006.
29 Mar 05. Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle System L.P., Sealy, Texas, was awarded on March 23, 2005, a $316,268,938 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for 1,934 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle Trucks and 836 Trailers. Work will be performed at Sealy, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 15, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were two bids solicited on Aug. 15, 2002, and two bids were received. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-03-C-S023).
30 Mar 05. EADS to supply secure vehicle locating system for NATO forces in Kosovo (KFOR). EADS Defence and Communications Systems (DCS) has signed a €13m agreement with NATO Consultation Command and Control Agency (NC3A) to supply an Interim Forces Tracking System (IFTS), a secure system for locating Allied forces in Kosovo and the Balkans. NATO has proceeded with the purchase of IFTS which will enable it to locate its vehicles in the theatres of operation in Kosovo and more generally in the Balkans (Bosnia Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia). The IFTS solution set up in Kosovo will enable NATO to field-test the Blue Forces Tracking (BFT) systems ultimately destined to equip all units under NATO command in its theatres of operation. At the KFOR command post in Pristina, EADS will install a central server which will initially permit the tracking of 142 tactical vehicles. By August of this year, IFTS will be capable of tracking up to 600 vehicles for NATO. The vehicles will also be equipped with rugged data terminals, which will enable them to receive and display the position of other vehicles in their vicinity in addition to other tactical information. The EADS-designed IFTS system is based on two key components: the information system and the secure communications system. The information system is based on Imp@ct, a new derivative of the SIR (System d’Information Régimentaire) system already in use by the French Army. Imp@ct enables a vehicle to transmit and receive geographical location of vehicles in their vicinity, as well as receiving tactical information such as prohibited or dangerous zones. The system is also equipped with a free-text or form-based messaging system. All of the information can be accessed both at vehicle level and from the KFOR command post, providing a common operational picture.
21 Mar 05. EDO Corporation has received a $9.4m fixed-price contract from Raytheon Company’s Integrated Defense Systems. The contract calls for EDO to provide a naval Electronic Support Measure (ESM) subsystem. Raytheon is the prime contractor providing an integrated suite of communications. EDO is a world leader in