It is utilized by U.S. Army and Marine Corps combat units and also is approved through the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for international procurement.

The contract was awarded by Raytheon Missile Systems Company, a unit of Raytheon Company, located in Tucson, Arizona. For this award, the fifth order under a multi-year contract, the company's DRS Infrared Technologies unit in Dallas, Texas will produce Second Generation Forward Looking Infrared (2nd Gen FLIR) Integrated Dewar Cooler Assemblies (IDCAs) for the Javelin's Command Launch Unit (CLU).

Deliveries of more than 1,200 CLUs are expected to begin in early 2006 and continue through June 2007. Additional orders on this program are anticipated by the company.

"Javelin is a proven, revolutionary, superior ground combat weapon system, providing the highest levels of performance, effectiveness and survivability for our ground forces," said Fred L. Marion, president of DRS's Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group.

"Our highly sensitive infrared IDCAs are key components supporting the Javelin's targeting and fire-and-forget capabilities. An important program for DRS, Javelin supports our reputation as a supplier of choice for critical, multi-year programs requiring Second Generation infrared components and assemblies."

DRS has delivered over 5,000 2nd Gen FLIR components and assemblies for the Javelin since the program's inception and is the sole supplier of the IDCAs for the Javelin's CLU.

The Javelin missile system was developed by a joint venture between Raytheon Systems Company and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, a unit of Lockheed Martin. It replaces the aging, wire-guided Dragon missile in ranger and special operations units, infantry and engineer battalions, and armored Scout platoons.

Javelin supports the Army's transformation efforts, including current and future forces, by enabling a single soldier to defeat any armored vehicle.

It has more than twice the range of earlier man-portable anti-tank weapons and uses DRS's critical 2nd Gen FLIR technology to target threats during the day or night. DRS's detection and Dewar assembly contains the highly sensitive infrared focal plane array detector.

The company's patented, quieter, dual-opposed piston coolers eliminate the noise of earlier sights, thereby helping the user to remain concealed.

DRS provides advanced IDCAs for several significant U.S. military programs and is a market leader in long-range, advanced infrared sighting and weapons systems technology for day and night target detection under harsh environmental conditions.

The company's 2nd Gen FLIR technology is key to missions involving deterrence, protection, maneuver and strike. DRS plays a crucial role in the Army's Horizontal Technology Integration (HTI) initiative and the military's modernization strategy to dominate the expanded battle space in the 21st century.

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