DRS Technologies, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a new multi-year contract valued at approximately $145 million, including options, to produce Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE) A-Kits for installation on a wide range of frontline U.S. Army tactical wheeled and combat vehicles.
Increasing drivers' vision capability, survivability and mobility in hazardous, low-visibility conditions during the day or night, the DVE systems are supporting U.S. Army and Marine Corps units engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The company received $10 million in initial funding on the contract, which includes options for the first and second years of the program for product deliveries through fiscal 2008. Additional options extend the program through 2010. The contract was awarded to DRS by the U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (CELCMC) Acquisition Center. For this award, DRS will provide DVE A-Kits and cabling. Production of the DVE A-Kits will be accomplished by the company's DRS Training & Control Systems unit. Under separately awarded contracts, the company also produces DVE B-Kits through its DRS Sensors & Targeting Systems unit, Optronics Division. The DVE systems utilize DRS's uncooled infrared technology and electronics developed by the unit's California Division.
The receipt of this new award solidifies the company's position as a prime contractor on the Driver Vision Enhancers program, having now secured contracts to produce both the A- and B-Kits, and provides a comprehensive solution for the U.S. Army. This new award reflects the continued priority placed by the Department of Defense on expanding the Army's ability to operate vehicles more effectively during night operations and under obscured battlefield conditions. The quality and reliability of DVEs support the military's objectives for increased mobility, survivability and situational awareness.
The DVE A-Kit is comprised of a pan/tilt mechanism and controls, structures, electrical cables and assemblies for mounting the DRS-produced DVE B-Kit. The company's DVE B-Kits provide military vehicle drivers with an unparalleled ability to see clearly at increased distances under severely degraded visual conditions for day or night operations. DVE A-Kits provide interchangeability of the B-kit within the family of tactical wheeled vehicles and within the family of combat vehicles.
Sergyi Way
21.12.2006