US Army to receive Leonardo DRS’ infrared weapon sights system

Leonardo DRS, has announced that it has secured a contract to manufacture advanced infrared gun sightings for the U.S. Army. Army.

The following order for shipment, worth more than USD $89 million, is part of an existing Indefinite Shipment Indefinite Quantity contract to supply soldiers with the Weapon Sight-Individual Family (FWS-I) system.

Leonardo DRS is currently producing the Electro-Optical Infrared Systems uncooled FWS-I software. FWS-I is a stand-alone, clip-on gun sight that connects wirelessly to the helmet-mounted vision systems, including ENVG III, ENVG-B and the next-gen IVAS, and provides the soldier with rapid target acquisition capabilities.

According to a statement, the system gives users the ability to acquire targets day or night and in smoke or fog, significantly increasing survival and lethality margins on the battlefield.

“We are proud to provide this state-of-the-art system to help ensure our soldiers are able to over-match the enemy on current or future battlefields,” said Jerry Hathaway, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Electro-Optical Infrared Systems business.

“We have a long history of supplying the Army with advanced EOIR technologies, and this award demonstrates that our customers know soldiers are getting the best product to ensure their mission is accomplished,” Hathaway added.

Insight Analysis

Development of the Weapon Sight-Individual family will take place at the Electro-Optical Infrared Systems facility in Melbourne, Florida.

Research is expected to continue until 2023.