WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine Corps is installing a new thermal imaging system for its M1A1 tanks.
DRS Technologies was awarded a $15 million contract to produce and install the upgraded night-vision capability that is already in use by Army tank crews, the company announced.
The contract is part of the Corps' Firepower Enhancement Program (FEP) for the M1A1 Abrams, the United States' main battle tank which is currently in action in Iraq. Deliveries will run from this September through August of 2007 and will apply to the Marines' entire Abrams fleet.
"The DRS-built FEP systems provide the Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams with a valuable performance upgrade and further extends the proliferation of DRS night vision equipment throughout the U.S. military," Fred Marion, head of DRS' Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, said late last week.
The upgrade calls for the DRS Second Generation Forward Looking Infrared Thermal Imaging System, a high-resolution imaging system that allows crews to see at night greater distances in a myriad of battelfield visual conditions.
The result is U.S. tankers having the ability to spot their quarry at long distances so they can get the first shot off. DRS said in a news release that the capabilities improves the Abrams' survivability and reduces the chances the crew will mistakenly fire on friendly forces.
The improved night-vision should be a welcome addition to the resources that leatherneck Abrams crews have at their disposal in Iraq. The 69-ton tank has become a prime target of ambushes sprung in cramped urban quarters by insurgents wielding rocket-propelled grenades and increasingly powerful armor-piercing bombs.
