The latest award includes TWS production systems, spare equipment, training and maintenance in support of new and existing systems. The company will produce the units in its Dallas manufacturing facility, which is delivering ahead of plan and ramping up to manufacture more than 1,000 systems per month.
Continued troop deployments and rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan have increased demand for TWS and other systems that support warfighter effectiveness and increase survivability in extreme conditions and combat environments. The Army is fielding TWS systems as quickly as Raytheon can deliver them.
The AN/PAS-13 TWS is a family of advanced thermal imaging sensors that improves soldiers' surveillance, targeting and combat effectiveness 24 hours a day, in zero illumination and in obscurants such as fog, smoke, dust and sandstorms. Based on infrared technology, TWS allows mounted and dismounted soldiers to dominate night operations.
Raytheon received three TWS awards worth more than $165 million earlier this year. Those awards covered production of 9,956 thermal weapon sights, along with funds for facility expansion and product improvement efforts.
Glynn Ramer, vice president of Raytheon Combat Systems said, "Congress has designated fiscal year 2005 'The Year of the Soldier' and has increased funding for systems that equip and protect soldiers. In 2005, the Army and Raytheon expect to produce and deliver thousands of TWS units to help our troops sustain their operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to help them fight the global war on terrorism."
Raytheon has delivered more than 12,500 TWS systems since it received the Thermal Omnibus contract in 1998. With the delivery of all units under contract, the company will have delivered more than 27,000 TWS systems to the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations Forces.