BAE to install Bradley advanced training systems

BAE Systems will deliver additional training systems to the Army for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle through a $12.6 million contract.

Under the contract, BAE Systems of Rockville, Md., will build and install 17 advanced training systems at Army bases. The Army Program Executive Office of Simulation, Training and Installation awarded the contract.

BAE will tackle the work at its facility in Orlando, Fla. The company expects to deliver the systems between December 2007 and August 2008.

The Bradley advanced training system is designed to train crewmembers to perform critical gunnery skills required for direct fire engagement. The computerized training system includes both crew and instructor stations.

BAE Systems Land and Armaments makes both the M2A3 infantry fighting vehicle and M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicle. The M2A3 is a fully armored, tracked vehicle designed to carry mechanized infantry to the battlefield, provide protective fire to dismounted troops and take on enemy tanks and fighting vehicles. The M3A3 performs cavalry scout missions. The Bradley is armed with a 25mm Bushmaster chain gun, TOW missile system and 7.62 machine gun. It has a crew of three and can carry six soldiers.

The Bradley Advanced Training System plays an integral role in preparing Army soldiers for duty in Iraq, said Mark Russell, training systems manager for BAE Systems.

The system "is unique in that it offers more realism and incorporates a random target feature that better prepares the soldier for real life fighting scenarios," Russell said.

BAE Systems has about 45,000 employees and had annual sales of $10 billion in 2006. The company ranks No. 11 on Washington Technology's 2006 Top 100 list of the largest federal IT contractors.