TechWorx has been awarded a contract by the US Army Armaments, Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) to provide engineering and manufacturing services during development of its next-generation Picatinny optical detection system (PODS).
Under the terms of $3.5m contract, the company, which is an SBA 8a-certified joint venture between VARCom Solutions and Prototype Productions, will conduct review of the technical data package and also identify issues associated with the system’s manufacturability and usability.
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Additional responsibilities include development and delivery of five prototype and 45 production units of the PODS 2.1 system to ARDEC.
ARDEC project officer Gerry Gaeta said that Picatinny Arsenal was looking forward to the launch of PODS advanced variant under development since 2007, in collaboration with TechWorx.
Commenting on the contract award, VARCom Solutions president Raul Vargas said: "We are honoured to have been selected by the innovative team at Picatinny to support the development of the PODS 2.1 system that has the potential to save lives and protect our warfighters."
Prototype Productions CEO Joe Travez added: "With decades of experience supporting complex engineering support requirements and using state-of-the-art manufacturing practices to build a wide variety of devices, PPI and our TechWorx partnership with VARCom, provide government clients with a reliable and flexible option for mission critical needs."
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By GlobalDataWork under the contract is scheduled to be complete within nine months of the contract award.
The PODS is a hand-held optical detection system, designed to assist soldiers in locating potential optical threats prior to their engagement in the battlefield.
According to TechWorx, the PODS 2.1 prototype will be smaller in size and feature latest technological innovations, when compared with the PODS, which are currently in operational service with the army.
