EDO Wins Contract to Develop Very-Shallow-Water Mine-Neutralizer System

, NEW YORK: EDO Corporation has been awarded a contract from the US Navy for engineering and technical support to develop and demonstrate a Very-Shallow-Water (VSW) Mine-Neutralizer concept. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract has a ceiling of $9.6 million over a five-year performance period. 
 
The development effort will require EDO to design a console and launcher for the neutralizer concept that will allow future integration with unmanned surface-vehicle applications on the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship. 
 
In addition to providing the engineering and technical support needed to develop the VSW concept, EDO will test the system's effectiveness in very shallow water and assist in evaluating test results. This includes demonstrating expendable mine-disposal systems, such as the AN/ASQ-232 Sea Fox, produced by ATLAS Elektronik GmbH. The Navy will then select a common expendable neutralizer for EDO to integrate into the final VSW system. 
 
“The threat of mines in shallow water is a serious concern in combat situations as well as homeland security,” said James M. Smith, EDO's chief executive officer. 
 
“EDO has industry-leading technology in a wide variety of mine-countermeasure systems, and has been providing engineering and design services to the Navy for more than 40 years. Our systems have been used in major minesweeping actions as far back as the Vietnam era and as recently as Operation Iraqi Freedom. This research in very-shallow-water techniques will further strengthen our position as a leader in undersea-warfare technology.” 
 
ATLAS Elektronik is a leading European provider of undersea-warfare systems. EDO and Atlas have a cooperative agreement in the field of maritime mine countermeasures.  
 
EDO Corporation designs and manufactures a diverse range of products for defense, intelligence, and commercial markets. Major product groups include: Professional and Engineering Services, Defense Electronics, Communications, Aircraft Armament Systems, Undersea Warfare, and Integrated Composite Structures. With headquarters in New York, EDO Corporation employs 4,200 people worldwide. The company was founded in 1925 and had revenues of $648 million in 2005.