DRS Wins Access to Army Contract for Electronic Testing

DRS Technologies Inc., a Finmeccanica Company, announced today that its C4ISR group has been awarded a contract by the Army Contacting Command in Picatinny, NJ to provide engineering services for electronic testing, measurement and diagnosis under a U.S. Army indefinite-delivery and indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a maximum value of $249.9 million .

The company is one of six defense contractors that will share tasks assigned by the Army during the five-year term of the IDIQ agreement.

Many of the tasks are expected to deal with repair of so-called "black boxes," electronic units integral to the operation of a wide variety of military equipment. The functions of a faulty unit are tested to determine which circuit cards need replacement. This approach allows the Army to stock relatively inexpensive circuit cards instead of returning malfunctioning units to the manufacturer for refurbishment, a much more costly and time-consuming alternative.

The company may also be required to construct new test stations and analyze and solve problems reported by users of test equipment hardware and software. In addition, DRS may be asked to develop test programs for new black boxes.

"This award shows the Army's continued trust in and commitment to DRS test solutions," said Tim Smith , vice president and general manager of the C4ISR's Network Computing and Test Solutions group. "Through partnership with the Army, our teammates and the U.S. Department of Defense, we offer the highest-quality engineering services to achieve maximum equipment readiness in support of our warfighters."