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Army may spend $102 million for more Land Warrior units

May-27-2008 » Filed Under: 4/2 SBCT , 5/2 SBCT

Max Jarman, The Arizona Republic

General Dynamics C4 Systems' $3 billion Land Warrior program is showing signs of life after being terminated by the U.S. Army last year.

The Scottsdale-based General Dynamics Co. subsidiary was the prime contactor on the program and was dealt a significant blow when it was canceled in what the unit's President Chris Marzilli calls a "pre-emptive strike."

But soldiers, who were initially slow to accept the technology, are now clamoring for the high-tech gear.

The Army is considering pumping $102 million into the program for another 1,000 units. [...]

The Land Warrior system has been deployed to 400 soldiers of the Army's 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment in Iraq, under an initial contract with General Dynamics.

While soldiers in earlier non-combat tests found the system too heavy and had trouble finding it useful, the infantry regimentstripped the unit down, modified it and made it work.

"I've heard reports . . . that they feel that it (Land Warrior) has really added to their capabilities and their protection," Lieberman said at the hearing.

The Senate committee is looking at providing $102 million to equip the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team with 1,000 of the units.

Based on the positive reports from the infantry regiment, the Stryker brigade specifically asked for the Land Warrior systems. Brad Curran, an analyst with the market-research firm of Frost & Sullivan said the Land Warrior program fits the Army's "doctrine of Net-centric warfare." [...]


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