Israel's Elbit Systems, through its British subsidiary U-TacS, has been awarded a $70 million contract to provide Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) support capability for the UK Armed Forces operating in Afghanistan .
The project will be performed over the next one and a half years.
As with the previous contracts signed in 2007 and 2009, this contract also includes the provision and support of Hermes® 450 UAS systems, as well as training for UK Ministry of Defence staff in the use and maintenance of the system, and the provision of contractor logistic support (CLS) and program management services.
The work will be managed by U-TacS located in Leicester, UK. U-TacS is held 51% by Elbit Systems with the balance being owned by Thales UK.
In another deal, Elbit Systems' US subsidiary Elbit Systems of America won a $45.5 million contract from the US Naval Surface Warfare Center to upgrade Cobra helicopters. Work is expected to be completed over the next five years.
The improvements in the night targeting system will allow the warfighter a significant increase in ability to detect, identify and prosecute targets in all weather and lighting conditions.
Reuters contributed to this report