SAIC Awarded $39 M by USAF Special Operations Command

Company to Support Dragon Operations Centers and Ground Control Stations for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations

(San Diego and McLean, Va., October 2, 2008) -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced it has been awarded a contract by Air Force Special Operations Command to provide operations and maintenance support to Dragon Operations Centers at Cannon Air Force Base (AFB), N.M., and Nellis AFB, Nev. Under the contract, SAIC will also provide support to the 3d Special Operations Squadron at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., and their associated Air Force Reserve unit's MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle operations. The contract has a four-month base period of performance, three one-year options, and a total contract value of more than $39 million if all options are exercised. Work will be performed primarily at Cannon AFB and Nellis AFB.

Dragon Operations Centers utilize and distribute data from Predator and Reaper aircraft, and interface with ground control station crews, forward aircraft, and Command and Control centers worldwide. The centers provide critical information and voice interconnectivity allowing for command and control of Predator and Reaper missions. In addition to operations and maintenance support of the centers, SAIC will also provide organizational maintenance support of the ground control stations, including aircraft maintenance management; command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems; and environmental, safety, and health programs.

"We are pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with the Air Force, providing critical operations and maintenance of Dragon Operations Centers and supporting combat air patrols 24/7," said K. Stuart Shea, SAIC group president. "The work SAIC performs for Air Force Special Operations Command is vital to supporting our warfighters in the field, and we are proud to be part of it."

Source : sai

Events related to this topic

• Armed UAS Conference [UCAV; UCAS; UAV; Precision Strike] - Oct 28 - 29, 2008, Washington, D.C., USA