SEI Helps Keep Knights on the Battlefield
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Modifications, Other Corporation, Sensors & Guidance, Tanks & Mechanized, Trucks & Transport
Systems and Electronics Inc., St. Louis, MO received a $7.2 million modification to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for systems technical support and logistics services in support of the M707 Knight Vehicle System.
SEI’s Knight is a precision targeting system consisting of a laser designator / rangefinder, thermal imager, digital command and control, blended inertial / GPS navigation and targeting, and a machine gun. Its mission is to provide precision far target location and laser target designation for both artillery and air-delivered general purpose and precision-guided munitions. The M707 Knight system is mounted on M1025A2 HMMWV jeeps for both heavy and light division forward observers, as well as the Stryker Fire Support Vehicle for the new Brigade Combat Teams. The system was designed from the outset to be both platform and sensor independent.
The current US Army production version integrates the base Knight targeting and communications package along with the AN/TVQ-2 Ground/Vehicular Laser Locator / Designator (G/VLLD) and the AN/TAS-4B thermal sight. The modular nature of Knight enables the system to be fitted with other customer-specified sensors as well, such as the Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder (LLDR). The sensor system can easily be removed for dismounted operation.
Recent conflicts reinforced the critical importance of ground-based precision targeting capability to the successful execution of both close air and fire support for asymmetric warfare in built-up areas. SEI developed the Knight fire support system under the US Army’s Warfighting Rapid Acquisition Program (WRAP) to meet this pressing requirement for a mobile targeting platform for its heavy and light division forward observers. Universally hailed as a model for the WRAP program, Knight progressed from concept to prototype in eight months. Both the HMMWV and Stryker-mounted systems are currently in full-rate production.
Work on this contract will be performed in St. Louis, MO and is expected to be complete by Oct. 31, 2005. This was a sole source contract (W56HZV-05-C-0003) initiated on Dec. 8, 2004 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI.
