4-Year Contract for Second-Gen Suit Worth up to $47 Million
New York state-based Med-Eng, LLC – a company of the Safariland Group – announced on 5 February that the US Army has awarded it a four year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, worth up to $47 million (€42 million) for the company’s second-generation Advanced Bomb Suit (ABS II) to protect the lives of front-line soldiers conducting Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operations.
The Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier selected Med-Eng following a comprehensive and competitive process that evaluated protection levels, operational capabilities, human factors considerations and other requirements. The Army may procure up to 1,641 Med-EngR bomb suits during the four-year term.
Med-Eng has been providing the US Army with its current fleet of ABS bomb suits since 2002. The ABS II ensemble takes advantage of new protective materials and technologies that will directly benefit EOD teams, including significant weight reduction; improved protection against blast overpressure, fragmentation, impact and heat; voice-activation of all helmet features to keep the operator’s hands free; improved ventilation to mitigate heat stress; and a user-centric design to improve ergonomics and physical flexibility.
“Selecting Med-Eng demonstrates PEO Soldier’s continued confidence in our ability to develop an integrated suit and helmet ensemble that will provide the protection, mobility, situational awareness and technical capabilities best enabling US Army EOD operators to successfully complete their missions on the battlefield,” commented Med-Eng Vice President and General Manager, Rob Reynolds.
Fulfilment of the contract will support highly skilled manufacturing operations in Ogdensburg, New York, where Med-Eng currently produces bomb suits for all four branches of the US armed forces, as well as for state and local law enforcement bomb squads, and are used across the United States and abroad.
