The Army is expanding the capabilities of its fleet of multi-sensor reconnaissance DeHavilland Canada (DHC) aircraft with a contract worth potentially $64 million to Leidos [LDOS] for testing and integration its three completed Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Enhanced (ARL-E) systems.

The single-award task fixed-fee task order consists of a one-year base period for Leidos to integrate the first delivered Mission Equipment Payload (MEP) of the ARL-E system onto the DHC-8 aircraft, then test and deliver the completed system to the Army. If exercised, Leidos would integrate the second and third ARL-E systems onto subsequent DHC aircraft.LEIDOS LOGO

“Delivering additional ARL-E MEP systems to the Army recognizes Leidos’ success in developing the next generation of modular, multi-INT intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems to meet evolving threat environment that the nation’s combat forces are facing,” Leidos Group President Mike Chagnon said in a statement.

The ARL-E system takes the DHC fixed-wing aircraft and modifies it with communications intelligence and imagery intelligence (COMINT/IMINT), Ground Moving Target/Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and electro-optical and infrared full-motion capabilities. With the integration of the manned multi-intelligent airborne ARL-E platform, the aircraft are then deployed for all-weather condition reconnaissance mission.

The Army’s Project Manager-Sensors/Aerial Intelligence (PM-SAI) is expecting to field two of the ARL-E systems in fiscal year 2018.