LEXINGTON, Mass. (AP) -- BAE Systems has been awarded two U.S. Army contracts combined worth more than $2 billion for infrared technology systems, with the bulk of the work planned for facilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
The company planned a news conference Monday at its Lexington plant to announce the 5-year contracts and demonstrate the technology.
One of the contracts, worth $1.94 billion, calls for production of Driver's Vision Enhancers. They are designed to significantly increase night vision capabilities for up to 17 types of military vehicles, according to Karen Spiller, a spokeswoman for BAE Systems.
The other contract, worth $347 million, is for laser target locator modules, small held-held devices capable of finding objects on battlefields day and night and in all weather situations. The devices weigh about 5 1/2 pounds, a significant decrease in weight and size from similar, existing technology, Spiller said.
BAE Systems has received initial orders for 1,990 LTLM and 338 DVE systems and bids are in process for additional systems.
Core production will be in Lexington with additional work at a facility in Virginia and final assembly and testing in Nashua, N.H., home of BAE's Electronics & Integrated Solutions division.
The company expects to immediately hire 50 additional workers as a result of the contracts.
Rockville, Md.-based BAE Systems Inc., a subsidiary of British defense conglomerate BAE Systems PLC, claims more than 106,000 employees worldwide and had U.S. sales of $34.4 billion in 2008.
