Leonardo DRS, Inc. (“DRS”) announced today that it has received a contract from the United States Army to provide thermal Integrated Vision Systems for Assault Breacher Vehicles (ABV) for the Australian Land Forces. The $9.6 million contract supports Australian Foreign Military Sales (FMS).
The DRS Integrated Vision Systems (IVS) combines state-of-the-art uncooled thermal technology into a small two-axis stabilized gimbal in addition to DRS’ Enhanced Situation Awareness camera system. When the ABV is equipped with IVS it allows operators to remain under armor while conducting their mission with maximum visual awareness around the vehicle.
“We are very excited to provide our Australian allies with this advanced thermal sighting technology that allows users to be protected inside an armored vehicle while giving them visual situational awareness outside during combat missions,” said Jerry Hathaway, senior vice president and general manager of the DRS Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems (EOIS) business unit. “With this delivery, we are bringing 15 years of experience building ABV IVS systems for the U.S. Army to our Australian allies,” he said.
The ABV IVS Program is a mature production program, with 220 systems delivered to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps between 2007 and 2022.
In addition to its industry leading cooled and uncooled thermal detectors, the DRS EOIS business specializes in designing and producing small, stabilized gimbals for Unmanned Ground Vehicles and Unmanned Arial Vehicle applications. These gimbals range from 3” to 8” in size with various sensor payloads.
The Leonardo DRS EOIS business is part of the advanced sensing and computing segment, which has an extensive installed base across the U.S. military. Sensing technology is a key strategic focus for Leonardo DRS as the company brings together its world-leading sensing and laser technologies for the men and women of the U.S. armed forces.