DRS Technologies Receives $43 Million in U.S. Army Contracts for Next-Generation Thermal Weapon Sights.PARSIPPANY, N.J. -- DRS Technologies DRS Technologies, Inc. (commonly known as DRS; formerly known as Diagnostic/Retrieval Systems, Inc.) is a supplier of defense electronic products and systems to the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, aerospace and defense prime , Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : DRS DRS Drives (street suffix) DRS Dispute Resolution Service DRS Doctorandus DRS Department of Rehabilitative Services DRS Direct Registration System (securities) DRS Department of Rehabilitation Services ) announced today that it has received $43 million in new orders to produce a family of next-generation Thermal Weapon Sights for U.S. Army ground force applications. DRS received the new orders from the U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM CECOM Communications Electronics Command (US Army) CECOM National Center for Communications of the Civil Protection Agency ) in Fort Monmouth Fort Monmouth is a United States Army installation in Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and about one mile from the Atlantic Ocean. The base covers nearly 1,126 acres of land, from the Shrewsbury River west to Route 35, called Main Post. , New Jersey, acting on behalf of Program Executive Office Soldier. For these awards, DRS will produce light, medium and heavy Thermal Weapon Sights (TWS TWS The Wildlife Society (founded in 1937) TWS The Wilderness Society TWS The Weekly Standard (political magazine) TWS Thermal Weapon Sight TWS Texas World Speedway TWS Tsunami Warning System ), which will utilize the company's uncooled infrared technology. Work for these contracts will be accomplished by the company's DRS Optronics facilities in Palm Bay and Melbourne, Florida, and DRS Infrared Technologies facilities in Dallas, Texas. Deliveries of more than 4,000 high-performance, affordable, reliable and soldier-friendly TWS will commence in October 2005 and continue through October 2006. These orders are part of a competitively secured five-year contract awarded to DRS in March 2004. The contract has a base value of $118 million and a total value of $375 million, including options. "DRS is an industry leader in uncooled, high-performance, thermal imaging systems, and the TWS is a cornerstone program for DRS in this core technology area," said Fred L. Marion, president of DRS's Surveillance & Reconnaissance Group. "The TWS is optimized to place increased lethality in the hands of individual war fighters, enhancing their survivability sur·viv·a·ble adj. 1. Capable of surviving: survivable organisms in a hostile environment. 2. That can be survived: a survivable, but very serious, illness. on the open and urban battlefields. Moving a key DRS soldier systems product line into high-rate, multi-year production, the TWS program will contribute immediately to the military's current and future force objectives." Using advanced microbolometer-based infrared technology, the DRS family of light, medium and heavy TWS will provide U.S. Army soldiers and armament crews with greater range of threat detection and wider field of view at a reduced cost. These sights will better equip the war fighter to see the battlefield and safely engage the enemy. The TWS produced under these latest orders will mount onto a variety of light, medium and heavy weapons, including M2 and M240 machine guns, M4, M16 and M82 assault rifles, M24 Sniper Weapon System The M24 SWS (Sniper Weapon System) is the military and police version of the Remington 700 rifle, M24 being the model name assigned by the United States Army after adoption as their standard sniper rifle in 1988. It is also used by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). , M107 anti-materiel gun, M136 rocket launcher, MK19 and M203 grenade launchers, and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (M249 SAW) is the United States military designation for a sub-family of the FN Minimi squad automatic weapon (from Mini-mitrailleuse French: "mini-machine gun". Both are 5. . Similar next-generation thermal weapon sights produced by DRS have broad application for various missions of U.S. military services, including the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Special Operations, in addition to the Army. The variety of DRS's uncooled infrared sensors ensures availability to international militaries, as well. The company's thermal weapon sights product line can be used for homeland defense initiatives, such as first responders and government customs and border control/protection agencies, in addition to private security companies, domestic law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). , and for applications where the protection of high-value assets and critical infrastructure from terrorist threats are priorities. DRS Technologies, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, provides leading edge products and services to defense, government intelligence and commercial customers. Focused on defense technology, DRS develops and manufactures a broad range of mission critical systems. The company employs 5,700 people worldwide. For more information about DRS Technologies, please visit the company's web site at www.drs.com. |
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