PARSIPPANY, N.J., 12 April 2007. DRS Technologies Inc. has received a $14 million contract to produce Sidecar embedded diagnostic kits for the U.S. Marine Corps' (USMC) entire fleet of battle tanks. The contract was awarded to DRS by the U.S. Army's Tank & Automotive Command (TACOM) in Warren, Mich., on behalf of the USMC.
The company's DRS Test & Energy Management unit in Huntsville, Ala., will produce and deliver the Sidecar kits. Deliveries of the kits are expected to start immediately and continue through December 2008.
This contract marks the first time the USMC has ordered Sidecar kits for M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks. In the past, DRS has delivered Sidecar kits to the U.S. Army for M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks and provided training to soldiers on the system's operational and maintenance procedures.
The Sidecar kits identify and isolate vehicle electronic and electrical system faults, reducing maintenance time and costs. They monitor and digitize analog or discrete system signals and provide the measurements to a high-speed data bus, allowing for real-time data collection and analysis. The kits receive power via the combined data/power Sidecar cable, with no interruption or expenditure of system power. Used in conjunction with a host controller, the Sidecar Data Acquisition Units provide a complete, embedded vehicle diagnostics solution.
