NEW YORK CITY, 10 August 2006. L-3 Communications' CyTerra (L-3 CyTerra) subsidiary has been awarded an AN/PSS-14 Mine Detecting Set Full Rate Production contract from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command Acquisition Center in Washington.
L-3 CyTerra will deliver up to 17,000 AN/PSS-14 Mine Detecting Sets, as well as Sweep Monitoring Systems for training, Training Target Sets, and worldwide training and support over a 10-year period.
The anticipated value of the contract over its 10-year life is in excess of $300 million. L-3 acquired CyTerra on March 3, 2006.
Unlike earlier generations of equipment that relied on metal detection alone, the AN/PSS-14 combines metal detection with ground penetrating radar. Weighing only nine pounds, the unit detects both metallic and low-metallic anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in all types of soil.
The AN/PSS-14 was developed under the U.S. Army's Hand-held Standoff Mine Detection System (HSTAMIDS) program. It will be used in conjunction with other mine clearing tools, such as heavy equipment fitted with special plows, and the strategic use of counter-explosives.
The lightweight AN/PSS-14, which folds up into a compact package, allows soldiers to operate the system while clearing minefields.
