BAE101107
On the homepage
In the newspaper
Out There
Small business
Northstar rolls
BAE wins mortar-launcher work
Print this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on Facebook
Share on Digg
Minnesota business by the numbers
See Minnesota's top earning companies, CEOs and non-profits
More from Business
BAE Systems in Fridley has won a $13.9 million contract to make hydraulic mortar launchers that can reduce injuries, cut manpower and slash launch times by 80 percent.
The Army, which ordered 588 of the machines, is expected to order another 100, plus training equipment, by 2010, which would elevate the contract to $20.6 million.
The first 52 units are to be delivered in October 2008.
The hydraulic lift, called an M326 120 millimeter Mortar Stowage System, is expected to be used in Iraq or Afghanistan. It was designed by BAE's engineers in Fridley to lift, set and remove the 300-pound machine within five minutes. Currently, three to four infantry soldiers must wrestle the mortar launcher off a Humvee trailer onto the ground where it is loaded and fired. Because the kick from the explosion digs the machine into the ground, soldiers must shovel it out and hoist it back onto the trailer. The process now takes about 15 minutes.
With the hydraulic lift, all steps can be completed in three minutes, "without [anyone] having to lift the heavy tube," said Jim Unterseher, BAE vice president of Army systems.
The contract for production, which will be done largely in Kentucky, is the latest in a series of combat equipment orders won by BAE because of engineering design work done in Fridley.
BAE won a $12.5 million Army contract in August to make 1,000 Humvee emergency-escape windows. In June it received a seven-year $276 million contract to build 155-mm advanced guns for two Navy ships.
DEE DEPass
Recent Business stories
Ivanhoe Mines 3rd-qtr loss narrows with revenue, lower exploration expenses - October 10, 2007
Ivanhoe Mines 3rd-qtr loss narrows with revenue, lower exploration expenses - Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., a Canada-based mining company, said Friday that its third-quarter loss narrowed as it recorded revenue and decreased its exploration expenses. More
Blog: Patent Pending
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin....
As you read this blog entry, angel investors and start-ups are flocking to Madison, Wisconsin for the annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium and the Mid West Health Care Venture forum.
Comment on this story | Be the first to comment | Hide reader comments