Textron to provide armored vehicle with artillery directing electro-optical payload

Posted by John Keller

WARREN, Mich., 13 Dec. 2009. Textron Systems Corp. in Slidell, La., will provide the U.S. Army with 27 M1200 Armored Knight combat vehicle systems under terms of a $10 million contract awarded last week.

The M1200 armored vehicle is for Army artillery observers who help direct artillery fire with visual observations and with laser rangefinder and laser targeting equipment. The groups that use the Armored Knight combat vehicles are called field artillery combat observation lasing teams, or COLTS for short.

The M1200 tactical vehicle provides COLTs with increased armor protection, payload, and agility, over similar artillery directing vehicles based on the relatively light Humvee military vehicle.

The vehicle uses the Knight precision targeting system from DRS Sustainment Systems in St. Louis, which blends laser designator/rangefinder, thermal imager, digital command and control, blended inertial/GPS navigation and targeting, and a self-defense weapon.

The Knight electro-optical artillery directing system provides precision far target location and laser target designation for artillery close air support. The Knight payload provides the targeting for precision-guided munitions like JDAM and Excalibur.

Awarding the contract were officials of the Army Tank-Automotive Command in Warren, Mich. For more information contact Textron online at www.textronsystems.com.