Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Adelphi, Md., announced contracts cumulatively worth as much as $49.5 million to 20 companies Tuesday representing a cross section of the robotics and sensor industries.
The Army Contracting Command awarded the contracts on behalf of the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) in the Pentagon. The companies will compete in the Culvert Denial Challenge program, co-sponsored by JIEDDO and the Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Md.
The 20 companies receiving contracts are:
-- Advanced Reconnaissance Corp. in Fishkill, N.Y., which specializes in multispectral and hyperspectral sensor systems;
-- Applied Research Associates Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M., which specializes in defense technologies, civil engineering, computer software and simulation, and blast testing and measurement;
-- A-T Solutions Inc. in Fredericksburg, Va., which specializes in counter-terrorism;
-- CyPhy Works Inc. in Danvers, Mass., which specializes in robotics;
-- Elbit Systems of America LLC in Fort Worth, Texas, which specializes in defense and homeland security technologies;
-- L-3 Communication Systems-East in Camden, N.J., which specializes in intelligence, communications, and sensors;
-- NIITEK Inc. in Dulles, Va., which specializes in mobile ground-penetrating radar;
-- Primal Innovation LLC in Sanford, Fla., which specializes in border security and rapid prototyping;
-- QinetiQ North America in Centreville, Va., which specializes in unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and transportation safety;
-- Robo-Team NA Inc. in Bethesda, Md., which specializes in UGVs, robotics, and control;
-- Advanced Technology Systems Co. in McLean, Va., which specializes in security and surveillance;
-- Applied Research Associates Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M., which specializes in robotic vehicles, blast testing and measurement, and pavement evaluation;
-- iRobot Corp. in Bedford, Mass., which specializes in robots and UGVs for defense and security;
-- K2 Solutions Inc. in Southern Pines, N.C., which specializes in explosives research and testing;
-- Lockheed Martin Procerus Technologies L.C. in Orem, Utah, which specializes in avionics and sensor payloads for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs);
-- QinetiQ North America in Centreville, Va., which specializes in UGVs and UGV sensor payloads;
-- Robo-Team NA Inc. in Bethesda, Md., which specializes in UGVs and UGV sensor payloads;
-- Stolar Research Corp. in Rio Rancho, N.M., which specializes in in-Earth and near-Earth radio frequency sensor science, technologies, and products;
-- Science and Engineering Services LLC in Columbia, Md., which specializes in research and rapid prototyping; and
-- Pearson Engineering Ltd. in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, which specializes in counter-mine, counter-IED, combat earth moving and assault bridging capabilities for armored combat vehicles.
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The JIEDDO/Army Research Lab Culvert Denial Challenge seeks innovative technical solutions for surveillance and inspection of IED emplacements in and around culverts, which are small tunnels that allow water to flow under roadways, railroads, trails, and other obstructions.
Culverts typically are embedded in soil, and are favorite places for terrorists to place remotely-triggered IEDs, roadside bombs, and other explosive threats.
The 20 Culvert Denial Challenge contractors will compete this fall at a training range at Fort Benning, Ga. Of these contractors, 10 vendors will participate in a surveillance challenge event and the other 10 vendors will participate in an inspection challenge event.
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Each contractor will receive at least $3,400 to cover costs of the Culvert Denial Challenge competition, and the compete for possible future testing, development, and deployment, the funding for which will be determined with each order.
For more information contact the Army Research Laboratory at www.arl.army.mil, JIEDDO at www.jieddo.mil, or the Army Contracting Command-Adelphi at www.acc.army.mil.
