Lockheed Martin/SIKA
International Receives $4.75 Million Maturation Contract For
Continued Development of Transformational TRACER/FSCS Vehicle
11 June 2003
DALLAS, TX, June 11, 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.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed
Martin employs about 125,000 people worldwide
and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture and integration
of advanced technology systems, products and
services. The corporation reported 2002 sales of
$26.6 billion.
Contact Lockheed Martin:
Chris Trippick +44(0)207 798 2856 (mob) +44
(0)7905 356 646 email:
chris.trippick@lmco.com
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