General Dynamics Robotic Systems Wins U.S. Navy Unmanned Vehicle Contract
WESTMINSTER, Md. – The U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR), San Diego, Calif., has awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems an $8.5 million contract for two Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) for the Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission Module. The total value of the contract, if all options are exercised, is $11.3 million. General Dynamics Robotic Systems is a part of General Dynamics Land Systems (Sterling Heights, Michigan), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
General Dynamics will provide up to four autonomous USVs by adapting its industry-leading vehicle command and control system to the unmanned surface vehicle domain. The USV will employ towed arrays, dipping sonar sensors and acoustic sources as payloads to carry out its Anti-Submarine Warfare mission.
“Sensor-driven automated maritime situation awareness is the critical technology that will enable autonomous USVs for Navy missions,” said Scott Myers, GDRS president. “General Dynamics’ ability to transition technology we are developing for the Army’s autonomous mobility systems to the USV was an important factor in the Navy selecting us for USV development.
“The USV command and control computing hardware and sensors leverage our autonomous mobility and tactical behavior technologies and the field-proven systems we have been developing for more than 20 years,” Myers said. “The General Dynamics design integrates a suite of surveillance sensors that will support safe high-speed autonomous mobility and 360-degree situation awareness.”
General Dynamics’ teammates include Navatek, Ltd., Micro-Analysis and Design, Signal Systems Corporation, International Logistics Systems and Chesapeake Sciences Corporation.
General Dynamics Robotic Systems is a leading performer on Department of Defense advanced robotics technology projects such as the Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) for the Army’s Future Combat Systems program, Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA), Mobile Detection Assessment and Response System (MDARS) and Vetronics Technology Integration (VTI).
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 72,200 people worldwide and had 2005 revenue of $21.2 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information can be found online at www.generaldynamics.com
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May 4, 2006
Contact: Peter M. Keating
Tel: (586) 825-7930
Email: Keating@gdls.com
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