U.S. Army orders range targets

LINKOPING, Sweden, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Saab of Sweden will supply the U.S. Army with multiple types of range targets under a five-year contract.

The targets were ordered for the Army's Targetry Systems II program.

The five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a ceiling value of $475 million, with five contractors bidding for delivery orders for more than 100 target ranges.

"Our new U.S.-designed generation of targets has been created to meet the rapidly changing requirements of a digital army," said Lars Borgwing, managing director for Saab Training USA. "We are fielding state-of-the-art targets and ranges for forces at their home stations or when deployed.

"The ATS II ranges will improve the gunnery and maneuver training immediately."

Saab delivered the first tank target to the Army in 1978 and has since delivered more than 1,000 targets for ranges around the world.

As a major contractor for the Army Targetry System program since 2002 and the sole source supplier to the U.S. Marine Corps for the Range Target System program, Saab has a long tradition of providing reliable and high-technology targets for the newest ranges fielded today, the company said.