US Army and BAE SYSTEMS Initiate Major Countermine System Under $87.6M Contract.

Business Editors

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 3, 2001

The United States Army CECOM Acquisition Center, Washington, D.C., and BAE SYSTEMS Integrated Defense Solutions signed a five-year, $87.6 million Cost Plus Incentive Fee contract for the System Development and Demonstration (SD&D) phase of the Mongoose countermine system.

Mongoose is a rocket-deployed array of countermine shaped charges, launched across the known or suspected minefields, and command detonated, to provide a high confidence cleared lane for the passage of mounted forces.

The Mongoose SD&D contract will span five years and will develop two versions of BAE SYSTEMS shaped charge based countermine system: a Brigade Combat Team (BCT) variant, meeting the specialized needs of the U.S. Army's new Transformation units, and a Legacy Force version, to field with the traditional heavy US Army forces.

Mongoose will replace the obsolescent Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) in the BCTs in 2005 and will field to the Legacy Force in 2007.

Mongoose is under the direction of the Program Manager for Mines, Countermine and Demolitions and receives engineering support from the CECOM Night Vision Electronic Sensors Directorate, Countermine Division.

This newest effort continues BAE SYSTEMS ten-year involvement in countermine systems and technologies and follows on the successful Explosive Standoff Minefield Clearer program.

IDS President Bob Swanson said of this most recent victory, "Mongoose is a very gratifying win for us and represents a real teaming of BAE SYSTEMS and the US Army to develop the critical technologies and systems needed for the Army in Transformation. Mongoose also validates our focus on countermine as a technology area, and growth market, for our future."

The final Mongoose contract was developed jointly by the Army and BAE SYSTEMS over a four-week period of Alpha Contracting. Alpha Contracting pulls together all of the Government and contractor stakeholders in the intended program and provides for a teamed development of all aspects of the final contract, including scope, terms, deliverables, and price.

"Mongoose will be a challenging program," says IDS Program manager Jim Bob Bryant, "but, with the team we have assembled and the rapport and mutual understanding we have with our Army customers, fine tuned by the Alpha Contracting process, our team is confident we will deliver a system that fills this key need for the Army."

Note to editors

The Integrated Defense Solutions, headquartered in Austin, Texas, employs over 1,200 people at three major facilities.

In addition to mine countermeasures, Integrated Defense Solutions designs, develops and manufactures a wide range of tactical products and services including chemical detection, camouflage, expendable countermeasures and dispenser systems, combat systems, and systems integration for air, space, land, and seagoing platforms and systems.

BAE SYSTEMS North America employs 22,000 people in the design, development, integration, manufacture and support of a wide range of advanced aerospace products and intelligent electronic systems for government and commercial customers.

BAE SYSTEMS is the truly global systems, defense and aerospace company.

BAE SYSTEMS employs more than 100,000 people and has annual sales of some $18 billion. The company offers a global capability in air, sea, land and space with a world-class prime contracting ability supported by a range of key skills.

BAE SYSTEMS designs and manufactures civil and military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, space systems, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, guided weapon systems and a range of other defense products.