Crane awards $19 million contract for Marine work

DRS Technologies, Inc. announced Monday that it received a $19 million contract to provide high-tech work for the U.S. Marine Corps in a contract from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.

The five-year indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract will provide the Marine Corps with vehicle Vision Enhancement Systems (VES). The Marine Corps will incorporate the systems onto their Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) vehicles. The work will start immediately, executed by the company's DRS Sensors & Targeting Systems - California Division in Cypress, CA.

The VES consists of four un-cooled infrared thermal imaging sensors, one display, one wide field-of-view monochrome CCD, and one control interface box. It is designed to provide 165-degree situational awareness, enhancing the forward vision of the driver and commander during movement, bridge launch and recovery operations, and under conditions of limited visibility such as night, dust, smoke, or fog.

"By providing the Marine Corps with this vision enhancement system based on existing and combat-proven DRS products, we are delivering a system that military forces always desire - a low risk, affordable and dependable solution that can be delivered and installed extremely quickly anywhere in the world," said James M. Baird, president of DRS' Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition business segment. DRS Technologies, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. The company employs about 10,000.