$1 billion refit

has recently been awarded a series of delivery orders and contract modifications worth $1.127 billion from the US Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (

) to remanufacture and upgrade more than 500 Bradley Combat System vehicles.

Under four delivery orders, BAE Systems will remanufacture and upgrade 450 older Bradleys to the Bradley A3 configuration; plus 50 vehicles to the Bradley A2 Operation Desert Storm (ODS) configuration.

BAE Systems will also provide kits to convert 100 additional vehicles to the A2 ODS configuration; convert 33 vehicles into Bradley Fire Support Team (BFIST) vehicles; and provide spares for Bradley A3 vehicles.

Additionally, BAE Systems will provide 120 Commander’s Independent Viewers for 120 Bradley vehicles ordered under a contract modification issued in February.

"Bradley A3 provides commanders with outstanding situational awareness in the harshest urban fights by providing the crew with two independent thermal sights, as well as proven mobility, survivability and lethality,” said Andy Hove, director of Bradley Combat Systems for BAE Systems.

Work on the remanufacture contract will begin immediately and will be performed at the company’s facilities in York, Pennsylvania, Fayette County, Pennsylvania and Aiken, South Carolina, in conjunction with the Public/Private Partnership between Red River Army Depot (RRAD) and BAE Systems.

Disassembly and component overhaul work will be performed at RRAD and the company’s facility in Fayette County. Various components will be supplied by BAE Systems in Aiken, and final assembly and test will be conducted at the company’s York facility. Vehicle deliveries are scheduled to begin in June 2006 and continue through to January 2008.