Kollsman wins $33.6m defense contract

Avionics and electro-optics systems manufacturer Kollsman Inc. of Merrimack has won a $33.6 million order to provide high-performance thermal binocular system long-range thermal imagers to the U.S. Marine Corps.

The company, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd., is expected to deliver the portable binoculars and hand-held battery-operated thermal imagers in 2006 and 2007. Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop Ltd. will provide additional support in the production of the imagers, known as LRTIs.

The potential for Kollsman to receive $250 million in additional orders exists under the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract awarded by the Marine Corps’s Infantry Weapons Branch in Quantico, Va. The agreement stipulates that the Marines may purchase up to 5,000 LRTIs, spare parts, contractor maintenance and training items over a five-year period. – TRACIE STONE