FLIR Systems, Inc. announced it has received an additional $30.1 million contract from the United States (U.S.) Army for sustainment efforts tied in part to the service’s Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II (MTRS Inc. II) and Common Robotic System-Heavy (CRS-H) ground robot programs. The award raises the maximum value on the company’s existing Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to $88 million, covering maintenance, parts and overall sustainment support for the entire FLIR unmanned ground systems family of small, medium and large robots used by the Army.
In 2017, the Army selected the medium-sized Centaur robot as its MTRS Inc. II solution. FLIR is delivering systems under that multi-year program of record, valued at more than $150 million upon award, including options. Since then, other U.S. military branches have opted to deploy Centaur as well. MTRS Inc II has a standard chassis and modular mission payloads in support of current and future missions. MTRS Inc II supports Engineers, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Soldiers and Special Operations Forces (SOF).
In 2019, the Army selected the FLIR Kobra robot as its CRS-H platform. The five-year production contract is worth up to $109 million to build upwards of 350 unmanned ground vehicles. In November, the Army announced it had begun fielding CRS-H. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams will use the system to perform a range of missions, such as disarming vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and other heavy-duty jobs. Modular payloads can be added for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) detection and other tasks.
Over the last year, FLIR has announced multiple orders totaling nearly $100 million for more than 750 Centaur unmanned ground systems from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. In addition to its use for bomb disposal efforts, Centaur operators can quickly attach different sensors and payloads to the robot to address other missions, including CBRN threats.
“We’re proud to be supporting the U.S. Army on two vital programs of record designed to confront a new generation of threats on the battlefield,” said Tom Frost, VP for Unmanned Ground Systems in the Unmanned and Integrated Solutions business at FLIR. From the Kobraâ„¢ and Centaur® platforms to our smaller PackBot® and FirstLook® robots, we are well positioned to provide high-quality, cost-effective sustainment efforts over these systems’ lifespan and deliver lifesaving robotic technology to America’s warfighters.
FLIR Systems is the world’s largest commercial company specializing in the design and production of thermal imaging cameras, components and imaging sensors. Based in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States and founded in 1978, the company makes thermal cameras and components for a wide variety of commercial and government applications. FLIR offers a diversified portfolio that serves a number of applications in government & defense, industrial, and commercial markets. On 4 January 2021, it was announced Teledyne Technologies will acquire the company for $8 billion.