BARRINGTON, Ill., 21 Dec. 2007. Recon Optical Inc. in Barrington, Ill., will build 72 Raven R-400 stabilized weapon mounts for integration on the Australia Defense Force (ADF) Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicle, under terms of an $8.7 million contract from Electro Optic Systems Pty Limited (EOS) of Australia.

The lead systems integrator and prime contractor is Thales Australia for the Australian government's Project Bushranger. Recon Optical provides the stabilized mount and EOS provides the critical fire control and sensor components.

With its stabilized remote operation, the Raven enables the gunner to operate his weapon from within the relative safety of the Bushmaster vehicle's ballistic armor. The system's stabilization and fire-control system increase the accuracy of the installed weapons while on the move or stationary.

In the Bushmaster configuration, the Raven R-400 will be integrated with the M240 7.62-millimeter machine gun. However, it also accommodates a variety of other small caliber machine guns, the M2 .50-cal heavy machine gun, M249 5.56-mm and Mk-19 40-mm grenade machine gun. Raven mounts to the roofs of combat or logistics support vehicles.

For more information contact Recon Optical online at www.reconoptical.com.