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14 Jun 10. The UK Ministry of Defence will spend an additional £67m ($98.7m) to help fund counter-IED measures for troops in Afghanistan, it has been revealed. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the additional funds would be spent doubling the number of counter-IED teams to 20, and procuring up to 13 new Mastiff armoured vehicles and Dragon Runner robots used to track the bombs. An additional £200m ($294.6m) will also be diverted from the current international development budget for reconstruction work in Helmand. In December 2009, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a £150m ($220.8m) allocation to tackle improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan. (Source: armytechnology.com)
15 Jun 10. Data Link Solutions (DLS) has been awarded a $29.6m contract for Multifunctional Information Distribution System – Low Volume Terminals (MIDS-LVTs) from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, FMV. The equipment is to be used by FMV and the Swedish military. These MIDS-LVT terminals provide real-time data communications, situational awareness, navigation and digital voice capability, all in a jam-resistant, crypto-secured package. Deliveries begin later this year and will continue through 2012. The terminals will be installed on Gripen fighters, Erieye C2 aircraft as well as various ground and maritime applications. Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Heidelberg, Germany. The MIDS-LVT is a compact, low-cost Link 16 terminal designed for space constrained applications like fighter aircraft with a flexible, open-architecture design. It provides the critical airborne, ground and maritime link that allows for simultaneous coordination of forces and situational awareness in battlefield operations. The reliability of the MIDS-LVT is matched by its affordability and backed by our global technical support network.
14 Jun 10. ITT Corporation has received a $53m order from the United Kingdom MoD for head-mounted night vision systems (HMNVS) that provide ground-based soldiers with superior performance during nighttime operations. This is the largest order from the UK for night vision systems. The deliveries of the HMNVS will take place over the customer’s next five fiscal years. In additional to, the faster repairs, ITT has increased its manufacturing capacity to meet the requirements of the international market. The expanded capacity has enabled ITT to deliver night vision technology to our allies and coalition forces within 120 days after receiving an approved export license from the U.S. Department of State. The HMNVS is the MoD’s variant of the AN/PVS-14, which is commonly used by the U.S. military and homeland security agencies. This is a lightweight, single-battery monocular goggle equipped with ITT’s Generation (Gen) 3 night vision technology, the most advanced night vision in the field today. ITT’s Gen 3 goggles provide the clearest, sharpest image available for soldiers performing nighttime operations that give them the advantage on the battlefield. ITT Gen 3 goggles last in excess of 10,000 hours, compared to the Gen 2 tubes that last approximately 2,000 to 4,000 hours.
14 Jun 10. Saab announced Luxembourg as a new customer nation for the top modern anti-tank missile system NLAW. Luxembourg is the fourth nation to choose NLAW.NLAW is a top-attack, fire & forget, single soldier missile, developed by Saab AB and manufactured by Thales in Belfast. NLAW has just recently entered service with the British, Swedish and Finnish armed forces. (Source: ASD Network)
17 Jun 10. Sagem will supply 285 MOP panoramic observation systems and 285 EPS-LT stabilised pointing systems for the French Army’s VBCI armoured infantry fighting vehicles under a contract awarded by Nexter.
Specifically designed for the vehicle commander, the MOP comprises a stabilised two-axis pointing platform with a non-cooled thermal imager. The system provides panoramic observation capabilities and targ