Elbit Systems [ESLT] was awarded a $150 million contract from the Dutch Ministry of Defense to supply advanced systems to infantry in Benelux countries (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg), the company said on Thursday.
The contract is to be performed over a five-year period with Elbit serving as the prime contractor and Thales as the main sub-contractor.
Elbit is to help provide Smart Vest, a technological cooperation program among soldier modernization programs of the Benelux countries: Netherlands’ VOSS, Belgium’s BEST, and Luxemburg’s COMPASS. This is the first strategic joint program of the Benelux countries and will provide soldiers with a system that will provide enhanced survivability and safety while increasing capabilities and effectiveness, the company said.
Smart Vest is planned to include wearable and protective systems for the solider; command and control systems, including advanced audio and data radio systems; specialized displays; and C4I capabilities, Elbit said.
“We are very proud of the Benelux countries decision to choose Elbit Systems as the main supplier of soldier systems. The fact that such advanced armies have selected our solutions attests to our technological leadership and to the maturity of our solutions,” Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, said in a statement.