BAE Systems Secures Contract Worth $20 Million from U.S. Army for Paladin Digital Fire Control Support Hardware.

YORK, Pa. -- BAE Systems, under a $20 million contract, will purchase and deliver Paladin Digital Fire Control Systems (PDFCS) kits and spare components for M109A6 Paladin vehicles to the U.S. Army.

"The Paladin Digital Fire Control system supports all communications and computer processing," said Andy Hove, vice president of Combat Systems programs for BAE Systems. "Some of the kits under this contract will be installed on vehicles at fielding sites across the U.S. and the world, while others will be shipped to an Army Depot where they will be used on the Paladin reset line."

Under this phase of the contract BAE Systems will purchase and ship 140 PDFCS kits and more than 60 spare components to support the system. To date, approximately 450 kits have been procured under this contract.

Work will be performed by the existing workforce at BAE Systems facilities in York, Pennsylvania; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and Anniston, Alabama beginning in September 2009. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by January 2010.

The contract is managed by the Army's TACOM Life Cycle Management Command.

The combat-proven M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer provides increased performance, responsiveness and lethality. Its shoot and scoot capability protects the crew from counter battery fire. From the move it can receive a fire mission, compute firing data, select and take up firing positions, automatically unlock and point its cannon, fire and move quickly, day or night. Paladin's range offers increased lethality and survivability, because the crew remains inside the vehicle throughout the mission.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded 15.7 billion (US $31.4 billion) in 2007.