Lockheed Martin has secured a contract to support the integration and testing of the US Army’s combat vehicle protection system.
Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will deliver five production-ready Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) base kits and support the integration of the protection system on Abrams, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, Bradley and Stryker vehicles.
The MAPS base kit features an open-architecture processor that enables the integration of MAPS-compliant sensors and countermeasures in a common framework.
It will help in identifying, tracking and defeating rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles, increasing the safety of troops on the battlefield.
The 36-month contract includes an option for up to 20 of these base kits.
Additionally, Lockheed Martin will develop base kit support for vehicle protection capabilities beyond active protection such as underbelly blast protection.
Lockheed Martin Advanced Ground Vehicle Systems programme manager David Rohall said: “Lockheed Martin partnered with the US Army in 2014 to develop MAPS as a safe and secure vehicle defence system that protects warfighters from a variety of anti-armour threats.
“Since then, the MAPS base kit has proven itself in multiple live-fire demonstrations. We’re ready to support integration and testing on a variety of army combat vehicles, the final step before the army makes a formal decision on fielding this capability.”
Headquartered in the US state of Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company with more than 114,000 employees.
In October, Lockheed Martin partnered with Aerojet Rocketdyne to compete for the US Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) contract.
