$83M to Keep Avengers in Theaters

Tony Stark approves(click to view full) In May 2012, Boeing in Huntsville, AL received an $83 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, for “engineering services in support of the Avenger weapon system.” Work will be performed in Huntsville, AL until March 31/15. One bid was solicited, with 1 bid received by US Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, AL (W31P4Q-12-C-0117). Boeing informs DID that deliveries from their new-build production line ended in 2009, but existing systems still need support. The firm has continued to invest in the Avenger turret, however, privately developing and testing an Avenger Adaptive Force Protection System variant that can mix and match its weapons. Instead of being restricted to a .50 caliber machine gun and twin 4-packs of FIM-92 Stinger missiles, AFPS uses a 25mm cannon in the center, while its 2 stations can each mount a variety of packages: a Stinger 4-pack, twin AIM-9X Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles, an AGM-114 Hellfire ant-tank missile, a laser-guided 70mm rocket pod, or even a high-power laser module. Recent DSCA requests for the Avenger system have included Chile (2009), Oman (2011) and the UAE (2008), and the April 2012 US SIGIR report [PDF] indicates that Iraq intends to file a formal request soon.