Army extends contract for AFATDS

FORT WAYNE, Ind., May 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army extended Raytheon Co.'s contract for continued use of the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System in support of operations in Iraq.

Under the $76 million contract extension, the Army will continue to use Raytheon's AFATDS record-keeping technology. The Army uses the AFATDS to coordinate and control mortars, air support, naval gunfire, attack helicopters and electronic warfare, among other operational details for missions in Iraq.

The announced contract extension also will expand on AFATDS to include additional network-centric capabilities for greater interoperability with the battle command systems of coalition partners.

"This award inserts critical new capabilities into the AFATDS system, including support for additional precision munitions and upgraded sensors," Jack Harrington, Raytheon vice president, network centric systems' command and control systems, said in a statement. "These upgrades are an important step in the Department of Defense's migration to network-centric warfare."