Army asks Leonardo DRS to build electro-optical targeting systems for Bradley armored combat vehicles
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – U.S. Army armored combat vehicles experts needed electro-optical sensor systems to enable commanders of the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle to search the surrounding area while safely inside their vehicles. They found their solution from Leonardo DRS.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency Aviation segment at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced two orders last month to the Leonardo DRS Electro-Optical & Infrared Systems segment in Melbourne, Fla., collectively worth $234.1 million for the Improved Bradley Acquisition System (IBAS) commander’s viewer unit.
The IBAS viewer for Bradley armored combat vehicles provides targeting, tracking, engagement, and fire control for the Bradley vehicle's tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missile system, as well as its 25- and 7.65-millimeter machine guns.
Using forward looking infrared sensors and an eye-safe laser rangefinder, the system enables the vehicle's commander and gunners to detect, identify, and acquire targets at long ranges to make the most of the vehicle's weapons. As a result, these systems give warfighters major battlefield advantages at night and in poor visibility.
The IBAS commander's viewer is an updated version of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle's commander's independent viewer -- a 360-degree panoramic surveillance sight that gives the Bradley fighting vehicle improved hunter and killer capabilities, increases situational awareness, and boosts weapon effectiveness for the Bradley commander.
The second-generation infrared vision system for Bradley armored combat vehicles includes enhanced capabilities for early threat detection from long stand-off ranges.
On these orders, Leonardo DRS should be finished with the work in December 2026. For more information contact Electro-Optical & Infrared Systems online at www.leonardodrs.com, or the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation division at https://www.dla.mil/Aviation/.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
