DRS Receives $120M For Thermal Weapon Sights

(Parsippany, N.J., April 17, 2009) -- DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today the receipt of a $120 million order for low-power uncooled Thermal Weapon Sight II Bridge Systems (TWS II Bridge.) The order originated with the U.S. Army's Research, Development & Engineering Command (RDECOM) Acquisition Center at the U.S. Army Garrison Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, acting on behalf of Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

The order is a follow-on to an existing five-year, $2.3-billion Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) TWS II Bridge contract awarded to DRS in 2007. Orders against the TWS II Bridge contract now exceed $230 million. Additional IDIQ orders are expected as funding becomes available, enabling the Army to order more TWS II Bridge systems in support of fielding requirements.

The work will be carried out by the Melbourne, Florida, and Dallas, Texas, operations of DRS' Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) business group.

DRS' TWS II Bridge family of light-, medium- and heavy-weapon sights use commercially available L-91 AA batteries for power and offer advanced, uncooled thermal imaging sensors, enabling warfighters to see what cannot be seen with the naked eye - for instance, looking deep into the battlefield through darkness, smoke, dust, fog, and degraded weather conditions. Lightweight, reliable and user-friendly, the sights produce crisp thermal images of critical targets to improve surveillance and target-acquisition ranges while enhancing situational awareness and decision-making.

"We are delivering TWS II Bridge systems on schedule and at rates growing beyond 2,000 systems per month," said RSTA president Terry Murphy. "The investments the US Army and DRS have made in this highly reliable and easy-to-use family of thermal sights are paying off for our warfighters. We're committed to helping them accomplish their missions with maximum lethality and survivability."

Source : DRS Technologies Inc., A Finmeccanica Company (Milan: FNC.MI) - click here for more information