Article Posted on : - Sep 13, 2010

Joint Biological Point Detection Systems. A file photo.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA (BNS): US Army has awarded a $30 million contract to General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products for the production and field support of Joint Biological Point Detection Systems (JBPDS).

The US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Acquisition Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, awarded the six-year indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract, which the company says has a value of up to $300 million if all the options are exercised. The numbers of devices in the contract and delivery dates are indefinite.

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, which is a business unit of General Dynamics, have supported the Army’s JBPDS programme since 2001, delivering over 700 units to date.

"General Dynamics has and continues to deliver innovations that protect our troops and our country from evolving chemical, biological, and explosive threats. We look forward to continuing our work with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Acquisition Center for production of JBPDS," Bill Gural, Vice President of Detection Systems was quoted as saying in a company news report.

Work on the detectors will begin in April 2011 at a facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, that now employs 120 people.

The JBPDS is a self-contained instrument suite that rapidly detects and identifies biological warfare agents. Available in man-portable, shelter-based, ship-based and trailer-mounted variants, the JBPDS can be configured to meet the operational requirements of the US Army and Navy.