DRS TECHNOLOGIES RECEIVES $30M IN NEW CONTRACTS TO PROVIDE INFRARED ASSEMBLIES FOR U.S. AND U.K. ARMY APACHE HELICOPTER ARROWHEAD SYSTEM

13 Sep 05. DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has received $30m in new orders to produce infrared targeting receiver assemblies for the Apache Arrowhead Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) System for U.S. Army AH-64 attack helicopters and the British Army’s AH MK 1 helicopters. The orders represent Lot 2 production of the Arrowhead, the U.S. Army’s Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (MTADS/PNVS) system, and initial production to upgrade the United Kingdom’s Apache air fleet.

The contracts were awarded to DRS by Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
Missiles and Fire Control – Orlando, which is part of Team Apache Systems, LLC. For these orders, the company’s DRS Infrared Technologies unit in Dallas, Texas, will provide Standard Advanced Dewar Assemblies Type I (SADA I) units, which are infrared detector and cryogenic cooler assemblies. Product deliveries are expected to commence in March 2006 and continue through June 2007. Additional awards are anticipated by the company. “Our receiver design is based on the Army’s Horizontal Technology Integration (HTI) B-Kit currently being produced by DRS for a number of ground vehicles. This design, which provided a proven baseline, is optimized for this new airborne application,” said Fred L. Marion, president of DRS’s Surveillance & Reconnaissance Group. “Our leading edge
FLIR technology is providing a significant benefit to the Apache fleet. With over 1,000 helicopters currently targeted for this upgrade, the Arrowhead is an important program for DRS.” SADA I and other HTI Second Generation FLIR programs supported by DRS remain central to the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy and its goal to dominate the expanded battle space in the 21st century.