09 Sep 03. A working model the CHS-3 Handheld Terminal Unit, hitherto shown as a mockup, is scheduled to be displayed for the first time at AUSA in October, Al Zimmerman, Executive VP DRS Technologies, told Battlespace. He added that PM CHS is scheduled to complete its testing of the product in the first quarter of 2004. Dubbed ‘Scorpion’ a new name to distinguish this new HTU from the company’s eponymous product line is also due shortly.

Zimmerman said he expects the value of supplying the HTU to a variety of DoD and other federal agencies under the CHS-3 programme to be around $20million per annum. Under the CHS-2 contract roughly 7500 were acquired in its first eight years of operation.

Commenting on trends in display technology he said that transflective technology appears to losing its position to new developments in transmissive screen technology in overcoming the problem of sunlight

He said that the UK had expressed interest in the HTU product and had been briefed as to its specifications. Australia is seen as another potential customer, previously acquiring DRS’ V4 Hardware offered by the company internationally as the RVS-330 used the FBCB2 programme to support its work on digitization.

Zimmerman added that he expects products from its Scorpion Family to enter the CHS-3 list in the near future. The two products were supplied to the UK’s Bowman programme as the Vehicle User Data Terminal and Battle Management Data Terminal.

This year’s selection to meet the FBCB2 V4 computing requirement has not been made yet. In the current year DRS Technologies supplied 100% of the computing requirements in this category in a contract that was originally shared by L3.