PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 5 (UPI) -- U.S. defense contractor DRS Technologies received a contract for communications networking gear for a new South Korean navy destroyer.
The New Jersey company said Thursday it received the $7 million order from Daewoo Shipbuilding for the second ship in the KDX-III destroyer class that is being built for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN).
The KDX-III is an advanced ship slated to be a high-tech sentry for the waters around the often-tense Korean peninsula. It carries a variety of missiles and is considered by some analysts to be on par with advanced U.S. Navy cruisers.
DRS will specifically provide a Fiber One Data Multiplex System (FODMS) - Navigation Sensor Distributor, which will act as an internal communications network for the destroyer. The system links together data transfer and communications among propulsion, navigation, steering, weapons control and alarms. It also feeds navigation data into the ship's Aegis weapons system.
The same system is use by U.S. Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers and marks a step forward in international marketing of the FODMS system.
"This award is our second commercial sale of the FODMS to an international customer. It reflects our success in providing vital communications systems that ensure the safety and survivability of a fleet during deployments and our efforts to expand our international business base," said DRS executive Richard Danforth.
