Ministry of Defence
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Troops will have the enemy in their sights with new kit
Troops will have their eye on the enemy with a suite of new equipment which will increase their ability to detect and target their foes, the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support announced today.
The new Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) Package, part of the Future Integrated Soldier Technology (FIST) programme, has been ordered from Thales UK under a £150M contract. The announcement was made at this year’s Defence Sales Exhibition International (DSEi) at the Excel Centre in London.
FIST will provide improved protection, day and night surveillance
and target acquisition, and assistance with navigation, command
and control and battle preparation.
The new thermal
sights will allow soldiers to conduct surveillance and engage
targets in all weather and light levels, including zero light
where normal night sights would be rendered ineffective. Thermal
imaging has the added benefits of improving the ability to see
through optical camouflage; it will also enhance the soldiers’
ability to conduct low level change recognition of tell tale
thermal signatures of concealed weapons and IEDs.
The
full FIST package will consist of nearly eleven thousand suites of
equipment, comprising the following elements:
• Thermal
Sights
• Close Quarter Battle Sights
• Commanders’ Target
Locating Systems
• Lightweight Day Sights
• Underslung
Grenade Launcher Sights
• Underslung Grenade Launcher Fire
Control Systems
• Ruggedised Digital Cameras
• Lightweight
Infantry Periscopes.
FIST will allow soldiers to dominate the battlefield with enhanced optics and improved target location accuracy, and will result in a significant increase in soldier lethality.
Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said:
“The Surveillance and Target Acquisition Package forms the first part of the FIST programme. The new kit that we have ordered will significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the British Infantryman.
“The MoD is committed to equipping our frontline troops with the best equipment we can by using the latest technological advances. I am delighted to announce this new contract which supports the British Defence Industrial base at the Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition.”
Colonel Bill Pointing, team leader of Dismounted Soldier Solutions at Defence Equipment and Support added:
“This is a key step in giving the dismounted soldier the equipment that he needs, both for current operations and to support training before deployment. The team from Defence Equipment and Support is proud of its achievement in delivering this package and looks forward to delivering the equipment that will further improve our dismounted close combat capability.”
The STA package that makes up the first increment of the FIST
programme will enhance the ability of the troops on the ground to
move, find, fix and strike the enemy by providing an enhanced 24
hour STA capability.
Deliveries of the new kit will
begin at the end of 2010 and the first equipment will be given to
troops for training, prior to being deployed to Afghanistan, in
early 2011.
For more details on the individual pieces of equipment, please see the separate FIST fact sheet.
Notes to editors:
1. Images from the FIST announcement at DSEi 2009 will be available on the website www.defensenewsimagery.mod.uk
2. For further information and images please contact Sally Trim
in the MoD press office on 0207 218 7714.
3. The
delivery will be managed by Thales UK as the Prime Contractor
through their FIST Prime Contract Management Office in Bristol.
4. Other UK companies who will benefit are Qioptiq Ltd, St Asaph, North Wales will manufacture the thermal weapon sight, ISTEC (Ware, Herts), who will supply the Underslung Grenade Launcher sight, Shield Public Safety & Defence (Charmouth, Dorset), who will supply the close quarter battle sight and Selex System Integration (Welwyn Garden City, Herts), who will provide training services.
Contacts:
Ministry of Defence
NDS.MOD@coi.gsi.gov.uk
