L-3 wins US Army’s Gemini Transmission programme contract

L-3 Communications has been awarded a contract to design and develop a next-generation transmission system for the US Army's ground combat vehicles.

The $20m cost-plus-fixed-fee contract was secured by L-3's Combat Propulsion Systems (L-3 CPS) division in support of the Gemini Transmission programme, which aims to modernise and sustain the army's existing and future ground combat vehicles fleets.

Under the contract, the company will provide engineering and technical services for the testing and development of a beta design of the Gemini III transmission, which was initiated under the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's (TARDEC) Broad Agency Announcement Topic 24 programme.

The new transmission technology developed by L-3 is expected to be used as a drop-in replacement for the existing transmission systems, thereby improving the army's ability to achieve power, mobility and lifecycle support requirements for its armoured brigade combat team (BCT).

L-3 Electronic Systems Group president, Steve Kantor, said the contract reflects the army's continued confidence in the company to advance transmission technology and effectively transition new designs to production that would eventually deliver improved performance, reliability and lifecycle costs.

''By leveraging our expertise in transmission design and production and through strategic partnerships, L-3 CPS is now under contract with the customer to mature all four of the next-generation transmissions for the armoured brigade combat team's family of heavy vehicles, including the HMPT 800 series of transmissions,'' Kantor said.

Work under the contract is scheduled to be carried out at L-3's facility in Muskegon, Michigan, US, as well as at partner locations, and is expected to continue through 2017.

The contract was awarded by the Army Contracting Command-Tank and Automotive (Warren).