QinetiQ Group PLC (LSE:QQ.) has won an US$84 million contract to make bomb suits for the US Army's bomb disposal experts.
The next-generation advanced bomb suit (NGABS) contract will see the FTSE 250-listed group deliver over 700 suits to replace the current 20 year-old design.
Soldier bomb technicians using the new suits will be protected when dealing with improvised explosive devices, including from fragmentation, blast overpressure, impact, heat and flames.
The NGABS also incorporates 360-degree ballistic protection along with increased fragmentation protection in the head and torso area, and, with the legacy suits providing no situational awareness during obscured and low light levels, the new suits will improve 'situational awareness' via sensors feeding into an electronic heads-up display.
"The new suit will increase soldier survivability and readiness to respond to evolving threats by providing them with protection and significantly increasing situational awareness with built-in technology enhancements," said Qinetiq.
"This contract win is a great example of our advanced sensor and data processing capability delivering success and growth in our US business (formerly MTEQ), taking products from prototype into full-scale production."