NEW YORK, NY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced that its CyTerra (L-3 CyTerra) subsidiary has received a follow-on order from the U.S. Army valued at more than $40 million for several thousand AN/PSS-14 advanced mine detection systems, plus accessories. The purchase is the second order placed by the U.S. Army under a ten year, full rate production contract for up to 17,000 units with an anticipated value in excess of $300 million. The initial order, announced in August 2006, was for more than $24 million of AN/PSS-14 systems and accessories.
Unlike earlier generations of mine detectors that relied on metal detection alone, the AN/PSS-14—developed by L-3 CyTerra under the U.S. Army Handheld Standoff Mine Detection System (HSTAMIDS) program—combines highly sensitive metal detection with ground-penetrating radar and advanced data fusion algorithms, all in a rugged, compact system. This unique combination of technologies represents a major advancement in detection capabilities and enables the AN/PSS-14 to accurately differentiate deadly landmines from harmless metal debris.
As U.S. troops continue to operate in some of the world's most heavily mined regions, the AN/PSS-14 significantly improves the speed and safety of mine clearance operations performed by U.S. forces, and dramatically enhances their ability to readily locate both metallic and low-metallic anti-personnel and anti-tank mines buried in all types of soil and terrain. To date, L-3 CyTerra has delivered more than 3,000 AN/PSS-14 mine detecting sets to the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps under this and other contracts.
"Mine detection and clearance remains a complex and high-risk challenge for our military," noted Craig Coy, President and Chief Operating Officer of the L-3 Homeland Security Group. "The scope of this contract and the accelerated rate at which the U.S. Army deploys the AN/PSS-14 signifies the trust they have in our technology. We're very proud to be a direct contributor to the demining efforts of the U.S. Armed Forces engaged in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world."
Headquartered in Orlando, FL and founded in 2000, L-3 CyTerra currently serves a broad customer base that includes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Army and Navy, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and several foreign militaries. L-3 CyTerra is a leader in the development and manufacture of a number of sophisticated sensors for the military and homeland security markets. The company's threat detection capabilities include the AN/PSS-14 next-generation U.S. Army mine detector, advanced through-wall radar and explosive detection sensors for checkpoints. Its products are used by the U.S. Army as their standard for portable land mine detection. L-3 CyTerra's explosives detection gateways and see-through building detectors are new products being introduced as first-of-breed next generation sensors. To learn more about L-3 CyTerra, please visit its Web site.
Headquartered in New York City, L-3 Communications is a leading provider of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, secure communications systems, aircraft modernization, training and government services. The company is a leading merchant supplier of a broad array of high technology products, including guidance and navigation, sensors, scanners, fuzes, data links, propulsion systems, simulators, avionics, electro optics, satellite communications, electrical power equipment, encryption, signal intelligence, antennas and microwave components. L-3 also supports a variety of Homeland Security initiatives with products and services. Its customers include the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, selected U.S. Government intelligence agencies and aerospace prime contractors.
To learn more about L-3 Communications, please visit the company's Web site.
L-3 Communications
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