LEONARDO SECURES OVER $600 MILLION CONTRACT TO SUPPLY MISSION-CRITICAL EQUIPMENT TO THE U.S. ARMY
Leonardo DRS, Inc. revealed today it has secured an initial contract for 28 Initial Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) Mission Equipment Packages (MEP) from General Dynamics Land Systems (GD) to support the U.S. Army’s recent IM-SHORAD production contract. This award, obtained on December 2nd 2020, represents the beginning of a five-year agreement valued at over $600 million.
The highlight of the MEP is Moog’s Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP®) turret featuring various kinetic effectors, including the XM914 30mm cannon and M240 7.62mm machine gun, alongside Stinger and Longbow HELLFIRE missiles. The MEP is additionally equipped with an on-board Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) designed to deliver continuous 360-degree aerial observation, identification of friend or foe, and other mission-critical technologies.
This production contract signifies the successful conclusion of an intensive prototype initiative that produced nine prototypes and completed government assessment in just two years.
“Leonardo DRS is thrilled to collaborate with General Dynamics Land Systems and its Mission Equipment Package collaborators to provide this crucial air defense solution to our troops,” stated Aaron Hankins, Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Leonardo DRS Land Systems division. “The swift prototyping initiative established the foundation for a highly effective production phase, and we are eager to commence production deliveries.”
Leonardo DRS plans to start delivering the MEPs to General Dynamics for final integration onto specially designed Strykers in the coming year.
