Providing Overmatch for Current and Future Battlefields

Leonardo DRS announced on 8 October that the company has won US Department of Defense (DoD) contracts for Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) programmes worth up to $800 million. The Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts were awarded in September 2018 and include:

A ten-year IDIQ contract from the US Army to produce the Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder 3, a next-generation lightweight precision laser targeting system, enabling forward observers to call precision-guided munitions onto targets. The firm-fixed-price contract was awarded on 9 September and is worth up to $231 million, if all options are exercised over ten years;

An IDIQ contract from the US Army to provide advanced infrared components for the Horizontal Technology Integration Second-Generation FLIR for ground vehicle sighting systems. The systems provide armoured vehicle crews with the ability to see clearly, regardless of light levels, adverse weather conditions or battlefield smoke and dust. The contract, announced 6 September, has an initial value of $30 million and a total value of up to $435 million if all options are exercised;

A contract extension by the Naval Surface Warfare Center to continue to produce the Improved Night Observation Device (INOD) Block III thermal weapon sight for components of Special Operations Command and Marine snipers. The INOD system is a cooled thermal mid-wave infrared imager with the ability to import data and export images. The system enables operators to successfully engage targets beyond 800m, as well as to see their bullet trace. The IDIQ contract, awarded on 25 September, is worth up to $69 million, with a current delivery order of $17.6 million;

A follow-on contract delivery order from the US Army to produce and field its advanced, uncooled, infrared Family of Weapon Sights-Individual (FWS-I). The contract was awarded on 1 September, and the contract delivery order, part of an existing IDIQ, is worth up to $44 million and advances the FWS-I programme to the low rate initial production stage, after successfully proving the technology during development of the system;

A 19 September contract from US Army Contracting Command to provide stabilised infrared camera sensors for Assault Breaching Vehicles that allow the user a clear view while remaining protected during combat operations. The IDIQ contract for the Integrated Vision System (IVS) system is valued at up to $19.8 million, with an initial purchase of $4.6 million.

“We are proud to provide these state-of-the-art systems to help ensure our soldiers are able to overmatch the enemy on current or future battlefields,” commented Vice President and General Manager of Leonardo DRS’s EOIR business unit, Shawn Black. “We have a long history of supplying the Army with advanced EOIR technology, and these awards demonstrate our customers know soldiers are getting the best product to ensure their mission is accomplished.”