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Secrets Kill The usual Washington Post brainwashing below. Didn't bother to say why they chose GD. |
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Army Awards
Contract for New Uniform
General Dynamics Corp. won an Army contract yesterday, potentially worth $3 billion, to outfit the soldier of the future with wired uniforms that monitor heart rates and respiration and with helmets that receive real-time video from overhead drones. General Dynamics beat Exponent Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif., for the contract, which initially is worth about $100 million but will mushroom significantly once the Army starts outfitting the troops. The Army expects a prototype of the new uniform to be completed by 2006, with the first unit outfitted by 2010. Each uniform is expected to cost between $10,000 and $30,000. The contract is a strategic victory for General Dynamics as it strives to redefine itself as a "systems integrator" rather than simply the maker of tanks and submarines. The creation of a new uniform is part of a larger effort to modernize the Army for combat on a digital battlefield where soldiers, tanks and drones are connected to a common network. The soldier would become a node in the network wearing an undershirt fitted with body sensors and receiving video from drones tracking enemy movements. "Army transformation is founded on the principle of networking soldiers with weapon systems, vehicles, and aircraft to create a cohesive, integrated fighting team with overwhelming and devastating force of action," Lt. Gen. John M. Riggs, who is leading the Army's modernization efforts, said in a statement. In the Army's futurist vision of warfare, the helmet takes on new importance. It will no longer be just protective gear but will hold a camera, Global Positioning System antenna, and microphones and receivers, according to the Army. A retractable eyepiece could be used to read text messages or view images sent from command centers or drones. The program "will provide an unprecedented level of survivability and lethality to the individual soldier," said Scott D. Myers, vice president of General Dynamics' Eagle Enterprise unit. The program also aims to cut the weight of the equipment carried by a soldier by 50 percent, to 50 pounds. Body armor would be lighter, and unmanned vehicles, known as mules, would carry supplies, said Dutch DeGay, a program engineer. "Can you imagine traversing the mountains of Afghanistan with 100 pounds on your back?" he said. But the program's sophisticated technology has raised questions about operability on the real-world battlefield. The Army has never deployed such complicated software, and some industry officials worry that glitches could endanger troops. The program conforms with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's plan for a more lethal, agile force "but the question is, can we deliver?" said Michael G. Vickers, director strategic studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "How much will you really be able to do that is revolutionary?" © 2003 The Washington Post Company |
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CNN Does Scorpion Ensemble Weapons | Wars | June 2003 |
