The contract was awarded to DRS by the Network Centric Systems division of Raytheon Company in McKinney, Texas. For this award, DRS will provide the Abrams Thermal Receiver Units (TRU) with the Block 1 B-Kit, as well as Block 1 B-Kits for Improved Bradley Acquisition Systems (IBAS) and the Bradley Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) supporting the Army's HTI initiatives. Work for this award will be accomplished by the company's DRS Optronics unit in Palm Bay, Florida. Product deliveries will commence immediately and continue through July 2007. Additional orders on this program are anticipated by the company.

"This award will provide improved performance and increased sensor commonality for our military forces and reaffirms our position as a leading supplier of advanced military ground vehicle sighting systems," said Fred L. Marion, president of DRS's Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. "The use of these systems across several ground platforms has provided the Army with the opportunity to leverage resulting economies, while exploiting the capabilities of the latest technology in night vision systems. Central to the Army's modernization strategy for the digitization of the 21st century battlefield, the HTI initiative contributes significantly to the power projection capabilities of ground forces."

The HTI SGF systems enhance the engagement and surveillance ranges for the identification of threats, increase target acquisition capability and significantly reduce fratricide. Providing the most advanced, high-resolution sighting technology available today for the success of ground combat operations, HTI SGF allows ground vehicles to detect, identify and engage tactical targets during the day or night. These systems contribute to information dominance by providing digital battlefield imagery to commanders thus empowered to promote interoperability among military platforms.

HTI SGF is comprised of a common electronics unit and opto-mechanical assemblies known as the B-Kit. The B-Kit is incorporated in the Improved Bradley Acquisition System (IBAS) sight of the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle System. The M1A2 Abrams SEP utilizes the same B-Kit within a thermal receiving unit and a biocular image control unit for the upgraded Thermal Imaging System (TIS), which is mounted in the gunner's sight. DRS-produced HTI components also are used for the Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer on the M1A2, the Commander's Independent Viewer on the Bradley A3 and the Long Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System (LRAS3).

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