General Dynamics wins $100 million for advanced soldier gear

General Dynamics Corp., Falls Church, Va., won a $100 million contract to lead the next phase of an Army program to network soldiers for the battlespace, the company announced Thursday.

The design work that General Dynamics completes in this contract may lead to subsequent production work worth up to $3 billion.

In the second phase of the Army's Objective Force Warrior program, General Dynamics will lead the design of the needed technologies, which is expected to take 25 months.

The program will develop technologies to link soldiers into command and control communications systems, while providing them with lighter protective gear that can monitor their health as well as other battle conditions.

The first phase of the work was awarded last August to General Dynamics and Exponent Inc., Menlo Park, Calif. Each company won $7.5 million to develop the concept.

General Dynamics expects two follow-up phases of the work. In a 15-month third phase, a system prototype will be developed and demonstrated. General Dynamics estimates that work will be worth $41 million. The production phase should take 10 years and could result in $1 billion to $3 billion in work.

General Dynamics' Eagle Enterprise unit will lead the work for the company.