(By Balaseshan) Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) said it received a contract worth $11 million for the development, integration and testing of the Autonomous Mobility Applique System (AMAS), which will increase tactical vehicle safety.
Work on the contract, which was awarded by the Department of Defense through its Other Transaction Agreement with the Robotics Technology Consortium, will be performed in Littleton, Colorado, and Dallas through 2014.
The multiplatform kit integrates low-cost sensors and control systems onto U.S. Army and Marine Corps tactical vehicles to assist drivers or enable autonomous operation in convoys. AMAS does not interfere with drivers who choose to operate their vehicle manually. It adds a sensing and control function that alerts users so they can rapidly react to safety threats.
Lockheed Martin proved much of the AMAS technology as part of the award-winning Convoy Active Safety Technology (CAST) program, which applied advanced leader/follower autonomy to multiple tactical vehicle types that serve in convoys.
From the beginning, the kit was designed to be low-cost and essentially platform independent. The system has a simple, single-button activation, and soldiers were using the system with as little as an hour's training.
The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) tested the CAST vehicles under a variety of combat conditions and demonstrated that the system will save lives by improving both safety and security.
Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems and products. It also provides a range of management, engineering, technical, scientific, logistic, and information services.
LMT is trading up 2.61% at $94.35 on Wednesday. The stock has been trading between $72.37 and $94.90 for the past 52 weeks.