The Sun Herald January 05, 2007
Armor tile contract expanded
$29M more for McHenry plant
By Mike Keller
General Dynamics' McHenry plant will build a new round of military vehicle armor under a $29 million U.S. Army contract, the company said Thursday.
The deal is the second contract expanding the company's reactive armor tile program from fitting just the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to include the Army's Abrams main battle tanks. The first contract, awarded in August 2006, was worth $30 million.
"In the tradition of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle reactive armor program, we are continuing to provide state-of-the-art protection and survivability," said company spokesman John Suttle. "We are now making the Abrams the most formidable and survivable armored vehicle ever fielded."
General Dynamics was previously awarded $417 million for reactive armor on the Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
Simultaneous vehicle programs will increase employment at the Stone County plant from 45 to about 75 assembly line workers and managers, Suttle said. The new Abrams contract will run from July to October 2007. The company would not say how many tanks would be fitted with new armor under the latest agreement.
Stone County Board of Supervisors President Duncan Hatten said General Dynamics has been a good corporate citizen since it arrived.
"They came in small and continue to grow yearly and anytime they can increase employment, it's a good thing for the county," Hatten said. "One thing they've always said is that the labor force here is good."
Reactive armor tiles work by sensing when an explosive munition detonates against them and exploding outward in response, negating the destructive power of the round. That keeps the vehicle and the people inside safe, said John Pike, the director of GlobalSecurity.org and an expert on defense policy who spoke to the Sun Herald in 2006.
The tiles are "generally regarded as being effective," he said.
Suttle said the armor is designed to be mounted to the tank's most vulnerable spots over the vehicle's standard rolled-steel armor. The tiles will protect the crew, ammunition and engine compartments, and fuel cells. General Dynamics also builds the Abrams for the military.
A company release said the new armor will be better able to withstand direct hits from shoulder-fired, rocket-propelled grenades and other anti-armor munitions.
General Dynamics worldwide employs around 81,100. The company, which builds military, marine and business aviation systems, expects 2006 revenue of $24 billion.
"This contract represents continued confidence on the part of our customer for the great work our Stone County employees do every day to protect the men and women of our armed forces," said plant manager Andy Herring. "We are proud to do our part to keep America strong."
© Copyright 2007, The Sun Herald
