September 15 - MDRS Technologies today announced $15 million in new contracts to provide rugged Applique Computer Systems and peripheral equipment for the U.S. Army's Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade and Below (FBCB2) program.

The systems will support U.S. Army and Marine Corps units engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

To be installed on M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks and M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the systems include the Army's Blue Force Tracking requirements for beyond line-of-sight reporting and tracking. They will provide "significant improvements" in vertical and horizontal information integration for use in the military's overall battlefield visualization efforts, DRS said.

The new orders were received from the U.S. Army's Communication-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command in Fort Monmouth, N.J.

The company's DRS Tactical Systems unit in Palm Bay, Fla., will provide the Applique Computer Systems, including processor, display and keyboard units, as well as rugged solid-state hard disk drives and mission data loaders. Delivery of more than 1,150 Applique systems has begun and will continue through March 2006, DRS said.

The FBCB2 program is focused on developing a digital battle command information system designed to provide commanders, leaders and soldiers -- from brigade to individual soldier and across all the battlefield functional areas -- with improved information for command and control and enhanced situational awareness.