FEBRUARY 1--DRS Technologies Inc. (Parsippany, NJ; www.drs.com) has received a new contract to provide upgrade kits for Canadian Forces' AN/TAS-502 Night Observation Device, Long Range (NODLR). Comprised of third-generation focal-plane arrays and associated electronic components, the kits are expected to double the range of current systems and improve their operation with increased reliability and noise reduction. The DRS-produced AN/UAR-501 Thermal Observation Device is the heart of the NODLR system, with more than 300 of these devices currently fielded internationally.
The $14.6 million order was awarded to DRS by the Aerospace, Marine and Electronics Systems Sector of Public Works and Government Services Canada, the main procurement agency of the Canadian Department of National Defence, in Hull, Quebec, Canada. Work for this contract will be accomplished by the company's DRS Flight Safety and Communications unit in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. Product deliveries are expected to continue through 2007.
The NODLR is a field-proven system for day/night ground surveillance operations. The IR system detects minute differences in temperature, creating TV-like images that distinguish targets in adverse weather or battlefield conditions. Immune to known countermeasures and not blinded by flares, searchlights, or lasers, the NODLR can penetrate most natural and man-made obscurants to ensure operational effectiveness around the clock. The NODLR detects and identifies targets at extended ranges, reducing observer vulnerability. The system is man-portable and can be mounted on reconnaissance vehicles and armored personnel carriers.
