Installed on over 40 vehicle platform types, including wheeled and tracked vehicles, as well as Tactical Operations Centers and other command post platforms, DRS's Applique Computer Systems support the Army's Blue Force Tracking requirements, which include beyond line-of-sight reporting and tracking, and significant improvements in vertical and horizontal information integration for incorporation into the military's overall battlefield visualization efforts.

The contract was awarded to DRS by the U.S. Army's Communication-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (CELCMC) in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. For this award, the company's DRS Tactical Systems unit in Melbourne, Florida, will provide rugged Applique Computer Systems, including processor, display and keyboard units, as well as rugged solid-state hard disk drives and mission data loaders.

Under an initial $79.9 million order, product deliveries will commence in October 2006 and continue through July 6, 2007.

"This milestone award reflects DRS's strong track record for innovative design, highly reliable performance, product quality and timely delivery on this key program," said Steven T. Schorer, president of DRS's C4I Group. "Thousands of DRS-built Applique Computer Systems have been fielded successfully under the FBCB2 program, and this contract ensures they will continue to serve as crucial assets for our forces as part of the Army's network-centric communications infrastructure."

The FBCB2 program is focused on developing a digital battle command information system designed to provide commanders, leaders and soldiers, from brigade to individual soldier and across all the battlefield functional areas, with improved information for command and control and enhanced situational awareness.

Supporting the Army's overall battlefield visualization efforts, the Applique Computer Systems provide a seamless flow of battle command information and interoperability with external command and control and sensor systems.

Incorporating the latest developments in digital information processing and networking, DRS-built FBCB2 systems provide improved combat support for lower-echelon battle command tactical mission requirements, including near real-time command and control capabilities, enhanced interoperability, situational awareness, and graphical combat area displays, throughout the force structure at the soldier, weapons and platform levels.

These systems assure that U.S. armed forces keep pace with advanced technology developments of the 21st century. The situational awareness component collectively displays the geographical location of all weapons, platforms, soldiers, command posts and other facilities and is being used in conjunction with the Army's Tactical Internet (TI) and celestial communications, a seamless Internet connection, for ease in communication.

The TI interfaces with the Army Battle Command Systems (ABCS), collects information from both the operation center and the individual units and disseminates the data through the FBCB2 computers for improved situational awareness.

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