General Dynamics Receives $23.4 Million Order for Enhanced-Capability Reactive Armor for Bradley Fighting Vehicles
11.09.04

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a $23.4 million contract from the U.S. Army’s TACOM/ARDEC Picatinny Arsenal (Picatinny, N.J.) for the production of 130 enhanced-capability reactive armor vehicle sets for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle System. Total value upon contract definitization could reach $46.7 million.

The contract comes in response to an urgent need for this critical safety improvement effort in support of the global war on terrorism. The reactive armor package, designed specifically for the U.S. Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle, is saving lives and preventing crippling damage to combat vehicles in Iraq, giving units equipped with the armor a clear advantage on the battlefield.

"Reactive armor has functioned very well. The soldiers in these (Bradley) units are excited about the product because it is providing a level of survivability that they previously didn’t have," said Maj. John Conway, assistant product manager of Bradley systems for the Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems (PEO-GCS).

The system is made up of "tiles" that fasten to the exterior of the vehicles. Each Bradley is covered with 96 tiles, which attach to the sides, the turret and the front of the vehicle. Equipped with General Dynamics’ reactive armor, the Bradley is better able to withstand a direct hit from a variety of anti-armor munitions, including shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenades, which are prevalent in many of today’s regional conflicts.

"All you have to do is read the news about the kind of threats our soldiers are encountering and you immediately realize that these tiles are saving lives because they are defeating the threats they were designed to defeat.… For the foreseeable future, reactive armor is one of the best ways to defeat these kinds of threats," said Conway.

This contract represents the continuation of a successful program with the Army and a successful relationship with General Dynamics’ strategic partner, RAFAEL Armament Development Authority Ltd., Ordnance Systems of Haifa, Israel, which will share 50 percent of the production workload. The production program will be directed from General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products’ Vermont-based Burlington Technology Center, with U.S. tile production occurring at the company’s newly constructed reactive armor facility in Stone County, Miss.

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, located in Charlotte, N.C., provides a broad range of system solutions for military and commercial applications. The company designs, develops and produces high-performance armament systems; a full range of advanced composite-based products; biological and chemical detection systems; and mobile shelter systems.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 71,600 people worldwide and anticipates 2004 revenue in excess of $19 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.

 

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