The U.S. Department of Defense announced 18 separate contract awards on Monday worth approximately $1.95 billion in total. One of the larger awards handed out went to one of the smaller players in the defense contracting world, Wilsonville, Ore.-based FLIR Systems (FLIR).
FLIR's award, worth $136.6 million, comes in the form of a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to supply BRITE Star Block II Systems and BRITE Star I upgrades, plus necessary "cables, depot repair actions, data, BRITE Star II class I engineering change proposal, provision item order and engineering services" to the U.S. Navy.
FLIR's BRITE Star II, Source: FLIR Systems.
FLIR describes BRITE Star II as its "latest generation of the combat-proven BRITE Star laser designation system," featuring a "diode-pumped laser rangefinder/designator and in-flight boresighting." The system is used for long range target designation, and in particular, the Navy wants the systems for use aboard UH-1 "Huey" helicopters and also Vertical Takeoff Unmanned Aerial Vehicles such as the Northrop Grumman Fire Scout.
FLIR is expected to deliver the systems by August 2018.
