Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Collins Aerospace was awarded a $9.9 million contract modification to provide spare parts of DB-110 airborne reconnaissance pods to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon announced.
The Defense Department in a statement referred to the "purchase of a necessary additional quantity" of parts by the Royal Saudi Air Force for its Reconnaissance Systems Program through U.S. Foreign Military Sales.
The DB-110 pod is a dual-band airborne reconnaissance sensor, integrated to ground communications of fighter planes to produce and relay photographs. It combines visible and infrared imaging capabilities on long-range, medium-range and low-altitude direct overflight situations, enhancing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance functions.
The device can collect more than 10,000 square miles of high-resolution imagery per hour and serves as the cornerstone of many air forces' tactical and strategic ISR capabilities, according to Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.
The system is in use by 14 nations on F-16, F-15, P-3, MQ-9, Tornado and business jets, and its sale to foreign customers has been encouraged by the U.S. Air Force to standardize ISR capabilities.
Work on the contract, announced on Tuesday, will be performed at the company's facilities in Westford, Mass., and Worcestershire, Britain, with a completion date of Dec. 21, 2021.
