Apr 30 2008
DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today the receipt of new contract orders totaling over $51 million to produce Thermal Weapon Sights II (TWS II). The contracts were awarded by the U.S. Army’s Research, Development + Engineering Command’s (RDECOM) Acquisition Center at the U.S. Army Garrison Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, acting on behalf of Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Contract work will be performed by two of the DRS Sensors & Targeting Systems divisions – the Optronics Division in Palm Bay and Melbourne, Florida, and the Infrared Technologies Division in Dallas, Texas.
These new orders are part of a five-year, $2.3-billion Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) TWS II Bridge contract awarded to DRS in 2007. Additional ID/IQ contracts are expected as funding is available enabling the Army to order up to 150,000 TWS II systems to support fielding needs.
“The Warfighter demand for night vision equipment remains robust, and the requirement for thermal weapon sights continues to increase,” said James M. Baird, president of DRS’ Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) Segment. “We’re committed to supporting our nation’s front-line Warfighters with increased production to meet that demand, and it’s an honor to be helping them to accomplish their missions safely and effectively.”
The DRS family of light, medium and heavy TWS II sights use advanced, uncooled thermal imaging sensors, enabling Army Soldiers and Marines to see the battlefield and engage the enemy through smoke, dust, fog and degraded weather conditions. Currently deployed with U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Special Operations forces, TWS II systems offer superior image quality for increased threat detection and situational awareness. The DRS-produced TWS II systems provide longer battery life, ease of use and reduced carry weight.
The company’s RSTA Segment develops, manufactures and supports electro-optical technologies, including advanced cooled and uncooled thermal-imaging solutions for Soldier systems, ground vehicle, airborne, maritime, industrial, security, public safety and firefighting applications.