Sep 21 2007
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army to provide more than 500 hand-held laser target locators to assist soldiers in locating and identifying enemy targets.
The value of the contract is $17.5 million, with the first deliveries scheduled for April 2008 and the final deliveries due August 2009.
The Mark VII is a hand-held target locator that can accurately identify enemy positions and locations during the day or at night. It can be used to conduct surveillance and target enemy positions for air or artillery engagement.
"The Mark VII laser rangefinder has been a mainstay in the Army for a number of years because it is such a great piece of equipment," said Gregory Williams, general manager of the company's Laser Systems business unit. "It is small, lightweight, easily carried, very rugged, highly accurate, gives precise targeting information, and is extremely dependable. Our warfighters are comfortable with it, know how to use it, and do, on a regular basis to effectively locate and identify enemy targets."
The Mark VII system is currently deployed with Army forward observers and scouts, U.S. Air Force tactical air control parties, U.S. Marine Corps forward observers and forward air controllers and members of Special Operations Forces. It is used in the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq where it provides accurate target location information for U.S. forces.