BAE Systems has received a $62 million order from the Army to continue deliveries of the new 2-Color Advanced Warning System (2CAWS) for the service’s aircraft, the company announced Wednesday.
The latest deal covers the third of four production lots for 2CAWS, which is designed to provide aircrews with “advanced threat detection capabilities, improving survivability and mission effectiveness in contested environments,” according to the company.
“We are excited to leverage our expertise on Quick Reaction Capability programs to support the U.S. Army – protecting their aircraft and the aircrews who fly them,” Chris Austin, BAE Systems’ director of threat detection solutions, said in a statement. “2CAWS offers new capabilities that are revolutionizing protection, for both the enduring and future U.S. Army fleets.”
Last July, the Army awarded BAE Systems a $179 million deal covering the first two production lots for 2CAWS, which is part of the service’s new Limited Interim Missile Warning System program (Defense Daily, July 15 2020).
The Army selected BAE Systems’s 2CAWS for LIMWS with an initial $97.9 million deal in April 2018 to provide a Quick Reaction Capability next-generation missile warning system for aircraft to protect pilots and crews (Defense Daily, April 27 2018).
BAE Systems developed its 2CAWS system with Leonardo DRS, who provides the 2-color infrared sensor as the eyes of the system.
“Optimized for size, weight, and power, 2CAWS features an open system architecture, two-color infrared sensors for increased range, and a fiber optic A-kit for faster data transmission. The system processor serves as the high-bandwidth digital backbone of the system,” the company wrote in a statement. “It houses advanced machine learning missile warning algorithms specifically designed for complex, high-clutter environments and rapid threat updates.”