Lockheed Martin/SIKA International Receives $4.75 Million Maturation Contract for Continued Development of Transformational TRACER/FSCS Vehicle
DALLAS, TX, June 11th, 2003 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and SIKA International - a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems - have received a $4.75 million contract for technology maturation and evaluation for FCS. This effort continues development of the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) mission equipment package from the Tactical Reconnaissance Armored Combat Requirement (TRACER)/Future Scout and Cavalry System (FSCS) Technology Demonstrator. The U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Command (TACOM) in Warren, Michigan, is the contracting agency. The six-month effort will include continued maturation of the RSTA technologies and provide analysis from the original TRACER/FSCS program. The elevated sensor suite with a Comanche Horizontal Technology Insertion (HTI) FLIR system and advanced radar capabilities provides the Scout with an elevated mast capable of on-the-move 360 degree, long-range high fidelity electro-optical capability. An additional advanced Radar System will be matured and separately integrated into the system to demonstrate improved crew capabilities resulting from EO and RF "fused" data and target information.
The culmination of the contract will be a three-week exercise to provide test, demonstrations, and an evaluation exercise at Yuma Test Grounds, Arizona, for the robustness of the integration and packaging of the elevated sensor suite with rapid area search and ATD/ATR capabilities. The accomplishments of this program provide the potential to be leveraged into the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program in the U.S. and Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) program in the U.K.
"During field trials at Fort Carson last summer, the UK Joint Program Manager referred to the SIKA TRACER/FSCS system and it's technologies as one of the most mature transformational systems available," said Ken McGinty, TRACER/FSCS program director for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Recent success at the Army's C4I On-The-Move exercises at Fort Dix demonstrated continued maturity and development of system integration and packaging of leap-ahead technologies for application to the future force initiatives. We believe the TRACER/FSCS system is proving to have many of the leading technology capabilities needed by US/UK transformational initiatives."
The original TRACER/FSCS program was an international joint development program between the United Kingdom and the United States established to develop a Replacement Armored Reconnaissance System for both countries.
The resulting jointly developed integrated demonstrator is one of two major system engineering and integration activities by the joint development team. In addition to the Fully Integrated System Demonstrator, the team developed and demonstrated in field trials a second C-130 transportable, classified "Integrated Survivability Demonstrator Vehicle."
The innovative system integration and packaging of advanced technologies developed and matured by the SIKA team has created a system that includes: leading edge C4I architecture, high-performing elevated sensors, advanced automotive chassis, turret and cannon development, and advanced survivability characteristics. The team utilized the active participation of "user" soldiers from the UK and US, who were provided virtual prototypes and constructive simulations of the system during design and development. This joint program reflects the early participation of coalition war fighters to refine the coalition requirements and capabilities of the system.
The maturation funding will help the U.S. and U.K. armies leverage some of the $300 million government investment and four years of technical vehicle and RSTA technology maturity from the FSCS/TRACER, PD/ATD program. Industry investment has paralleled that of the governments.
The very successful joint program was started over three years ago with a joint Memorandum of Agreement and the Joint Program Office. The program predated the initiatives on Transformation in the US and Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) in the UK.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control develops, manufactures and integrates world-class air defense, fire support, strike weapon, naval munitions, combat vision, anti-armor and advanced product solutions and systems for U.S. and international armed forces.
Craig Vanbebber, 972-603-1615
email craig.vanbebber@lmco.com
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