- GENERAL DYNAMICS AWARDED RECONNAISSANCE,
SURVEILLANCE, TARGETING VEHICLE (RST-V) CONTRACT-

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- General Dynamics Land Systems was notified today by the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division that it has been selected as one of two winners of the RST-V Phase I contract. The $2.9 million program is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The RST-V will be a hybrid electric drive vehicle mounting a Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Targeting (RST) suite; a Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence (C4I) suite; and an integrated survivability package. It will be internally transportable in a V22 Osprey.

The RST-V program is divided into two phases. The first phase will involve bringing competitive designs to a Critical Design Review. A downselect to one contractor will then occur based upon performance and the Phase II proposals. In Phase II the winner will build two "Demonstrator" vehicles that will be tested by the contractor and the USMC under field conditions. This prototype is expected to participate in the USMC instrumented warfighting evaluation. Phase II will involve the build and test of two prototypes over a three year period.

The General Dynamics Land Systems team includes Magnet Motors of Germany (electric drive and controls), and Computing Devices International (C4I) / Computing Devices Canada (RST suite), recently acquired by General Dynamics and now part of its Combat Systems Group. The vehicle integration and mobility subsystems will be performed at Land Systems Technical Center in Muskegon, Michigan. Survivability and Communication engineering support will be provided by Land Systems' Sterling Heights, Michigan, and Tallahassee, Florida, locations.

"This contract is the first step toward making sure that the Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit has the vehicles it needs to execute its mission after they land with the V22," said Dr. N.S. Sridharan, Land Systems Director of Mobility Systems and Advanced Concepts. According to Rick DuVall, Land Systems RST-V program manager, "Our RST-V solution provides dramatically improved mobility and utility within the V-22 constraints."

General Dynamics Land Systems, a division of General Dynamics Corporation, is a world leader in the development, production, and support of armored vehicles and electronic systems. It's 3,400 employees operate plants and facilities in seven states and at three international locations. More information about General Dynamics Land Systems can be found on the Internet at www.gdls.com.

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LS-97-25
11-6-97