The Army affirmed its partnership with Leonardo DRS to continue supply computing systems for its ground combat and tactical vehicles with an additional $58 million order for the company’s Mounted Family of Computer Systems (MFoCS).
The latest contract is meant to upgrade existing MFoCS units installed in Army vehicles, and brings the total value of next-generation combat computing deals with Leonardo DRS to $110 million for 2017.
“Our MFoCS systems can support current and future proposed software applications, while also providing critical trusted-computing security features. We have been able to significantly increase the computing power, storage and mission flexibility of the platform computer, while simultaneously improving performance in all areas of size, weight, power and cost,” Vice President and General manager of Land Electronics for Leonardo DRS Jerry Hathaway said in a statement. “We are very proud to have worked closely with our customer to ensure that MFoCS meets the demanding requirements of mission-critical reliability combined with robust security enhancements to ensure trusted performance today and into the future.”
Leonardo’s MFoCS systems allow the Army to field rugged tactical computers needed to support the use of simultaneous applications, as well as integrating various sensors and communications networks. Under this latest deal, Leonardo DRS will supply the Army with dismountable tablets, processor units, docking stations, and rugged touchscreen display units.
The pick-up of this additional deal comes during the last year of the Leonardo DRS’ IDIQ contract initially signed with the Army in 2013. The Australian Army this year already chose Leonardo to supply its fleet of M1A1SA Abrams main battle tanks and other combat vehicles with the MFoCS systems (Defense Daily, July 26).
“We have provided legacy systems in the past and MFoCS was an upgrade to those systems. The systems are unique for combat computing because of their power, ruggedness and various configurations available,” a Leonardo DRS spokesperson told Defense Daily.
MFoCS is meant to improve system integration of tactical vehicle’s sensors, including the Driver’s Vision Enhancer, the 360-degree situational awareness cameras, gunshot detection systems, Vehicle Health Management Systems and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear sensors. Leonardo’s hardware infrastructure is capable of managing combat net radios and running data between Satellite Communications radios.
The production of the MFoCS systems will continue at Leonardo DRS’ Melbourne, Florida facility.
Leonard DRS is a U.S.-based division of Italy’s Leonardo.