DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a new $7 million contract to produce lightweight electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor systems for the U.S. Army's Future Combat System (FCS) program Class I Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The sensors will provide imagery during reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) missions and enhanced reconnaissance and security/early warning capabilities, which will increase situational awareness. They also will provide common operating picture information to aid line-of-sight (LOS), non-LOS and beyond LOS targeting.

The contract was awarded to DRS by Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) Integrated Systems sector, California Microwave Systems unit, located in Belcamp, Maryland. Northrop Grumman is the airborne systems integrator on the Future Combat System program. For this award, DRS will develop and provide emulators and prototypes of an EO/IR system that meets the RSTA requirements of the FCS Class I UAV. Work will be accomplished by the company's DRS Sensors & Targeting Systems unit - California Division, in Cypress, California, and will continue through September 2008.

"This new award expands DRS's role on the Future Combat System program as a UAV sensor provider and an industry leader in uncooled, high-performance thermal imaging solutions for the military," said James M. Baird, president of DRS's Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) Segment. "DRS is providing a best-value solution by leveraging the common components of the Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor in the Thermal Weapon Sights (TWS) and Driver Vision Enhancers (DVE) we produce for the U.S. Army. The successful completion of the system development phase on this program will place the company in a solid position as the supplier of choice for full rate production."

DRS's sensor system provides commonality with manned and unmanned ground operations. The company's sensor and imaging technology also supports other U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force mission applications and can be used to support emerging RSTA missions on multiple platforms for multiple applications.

DRS Technologies
30.11.2006