General Dynamics [GD] C4 Systems unit has received a $75 million order on the Common Hardware/Software 3 (CHS-3) contract from the Army for military hardware and software, including computers and network equipment for the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Program.
The CHS-3 contract vehicle enables the military and government agencies to affordably access the latest commercial computer and networking advancements to establish common hardware/software computing platforms and networks throughout the battlefield.
CHS-3 is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with a potential value of $2 billion over the 10-year life of the contract. General Dynamics was selected as the prime contractor for CHS-3 through a competitive bidding process in 2003 (Defense Daily, June 4, 2003).
WIN-T will be the Army’s integrating battlefield communications network, providing warfighters fast, secure and mobile access to the Defense Department’s Global Information Grid. General Dynamics teams with Lockheed Martin [LMT] in developing WIN-T. Delivery will accelerate and development continue on the program under Army contract modifications valued up to $921 million (Defense Daily, Sept. 18).
Earlier this month in the Defense Department’s Selected Acquisition Reports, the initial Increment 1 WIN-T baseline, formerly the Joint Network Node, was set at about $3.8 billion.
The Army Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (CECOM), headquartered at Ft. Monmouth, N.J., is the lead contracting authority for CHS-3.
“This go-to contracting vehicle continues to prove its relevance and fundamental value proposition time and time again,” said Mike DiBiase, vice president of Computing Technologies for General Dynamics C4 Systems. “For more than 20 years the government and industry CHS team has fulfilled its original commitment and charter to rapidly equip warfighters with the right technology and post-delivery support for the mission at hand.”
In addition to a complete line of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products, the CHS-3 contract provides an array of semi-rugged and fully rugged computing platforms and accessories that are qualified for use in a tactical environment. The technology insertion provision of the contract ensures the latest in COTS technology is applied to provide the U.S. military with the most powerful computing and networking resources available, while leveraging the price advantages that are naturally associated with high-volume commercial manufacturing.
The earlier CHS-2 contract, also awarded to General Dynamics, and the CHS-3 contract provide unique purchasing efficiencies and product volumes that have enabled the company to offer very competitive hardware pricing fully backed by an extended worldwide warranty and logistics support program, resulting in orders from the Army, Marines and Air Force.
The CHS-3 product line includes rugged local area networks, server platforms, communication gateways, routers, laptops, faxes and various ancillary equipment including vehicle mounts, cables, and operational transit cases. Extensive system integration, product testing services, end user support and program management is also available under the CHS-3 contract.
General Dynamics’ teammates on the CHS-3 contract include DRS Technologies [DRS], Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems [CSCO].