U.S. Army armored vehicles experts needed infrared night-vision capability for enhanced vision in combat vehicles. They found their infrared sensor solution from the DRS Technologies Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) business group in Parsippany, N.J.

DRS is one of two suppliers chosen for a $1.9 billion contract from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) at Fort Monmouth, N.J., for Driver’s Vision Enhancers (DVEs) with night-vision optics for the Army, as well as the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations Command. BAE Systems is the other DVE supplier.

DVEs provide operators of combat and tactical vehicles with military night-vision capability to maneuver in smoke, fog, sand, and other battlefield obscurants, using advanced infrared-imaging and rugged display technologies for synthetic vision.

“In 2004, we were awarded our first DVE contract. Since then, we have delivered more than 40,000 units for deployment on a range of combat and tactical-wheeled vehicles, including the Abrams tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Stryker, MRAP, Amphibious Assault Vehicle, HMMWV, and other heavy and medium tactical-wheeled vehicles,” says Terry Murphy, president of DRS Technologies’ Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) business group.

DRS officials say they expect to deliver four DVE versions: the DVE Lite for line-haul truck and tactical vehicle application to promote vehicle safety and hazard avoidance in supply chain operations; the DVE CV for combat vehicles; the DVE TWV with Electronic Pan and Tilt Modules (EPTMs) for tactical wheeled vehicles; and the DVE TWV with Forward Activity Detection System (FADS), for detection or surveillance at distances to monitor suspicious activities such as those associated with planting potentially deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

For more information, visit DRS RSTA online at www.drs.com.

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