Comtech Telecommunications Corp. has been awarded $1.9 million navigation contract by a U.S. automotive manufacturer, according to the company. The automaker’s identity was not revealed.
The contract is with Comtech’s Enterprise Technologies group, which is part of Comtech’s Commercial Solutions segment, and is for developing a new navigation product for two of the automaker’s top vehicle programs, including motorcycles.
“With this agreement, our turnkey navigation solution will be introduced to an entirely new automotive segment and is included as a lead product for this manufacturer supporting multiple languages and is deployed globally across all major markets,” said Fred Kornberg, president and chief executive officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. “It also represents a new stage of growth for our navigation and mapping applications, made possible through our Location Studio platform that has been a leading source of product customization for OEMs across a number of vertical markets.”
The Enterprise Technologies group specializes in precise device location and messaging platforms. Its fully virtualized and API solutions are available to mobile network operators, enterprises, internet of things (IoT) developers and automotive manufacturers.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. designs, develops, produces and markets innovative products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions. It sells products to a diverse customer base in the global commercial and government communications markets.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.‘s Command & Control Technologies group — part of Comtech’s Government Solutions segment — has been awarded contract modifications totaling $4.2 million.
The contract modifications are part of a five-year sustainment support contract for the U.S. Army’s Project Manager Mission Command (PM MC) Blue Force Tracking (BFT-1) program.
BFT-1 is a battle command, real-time situational awareness and control system. Under the five-year BFT-1 sustainment contract, Comtech performs engineering services, satellite network operations and program management.
A U.S. soldier preparing his Blue Force Tracker before departing Camp Victory, Iraq in 2005. (Photo: Petty Officer 1st Class Brien Aho, U.S. Navy)
Comtech continues to perform engineering services, satellite network operations and program management through a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract with Time & Materials (T&M) and Cost Reimbursement elements. The base performance period began April 15, 2017 and ends April 14, 2018, and the contract provides for four twelve-month option periods exercisable by GSA.
Of this amount, $3 million was received during its fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 and $1.2 million was received during its first quarter of fiscal 2018. This additional funding applies to the original award in April 2017, which today totals $7.7 million of the total potential value of the base year. These modifications fulfilled the government’s obligation to fund the Firm Fixed Price (FFP) portion of the contract.
“We are pleased that our Army customer recognizes the value of Comtech’s services,” said Fred Kornberg, president and CEO of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. “Comtech is committed to providing the Army and its soldiers with the highest level of support to enable them to complete their missions.”
Blue Force Tracking systems consist of a computer, used to display location information, a satellite terminal and satellite antenna, used to transmit location and other military data, a GPS receiver (to determine its own position), command-and-control software (to send and receive orders, and many other battlefield support functions) and mapping software, usually in the form of a geographic information system (GIS) that plots the BFT device on a map.
The system displays the location of the host vehicle on the computer’s terrain-map display, along with the locations of other platforms (friendly in blue, and enemy in red) in their respective locations.
BFT can also be used to send and receive text and imagery messages, and Blue Force Tracking has a mechanism for reporting the locations of enemy forces and other battlefield conditions (for example, the location of mine fields, battlefield obstacles or bridges that are damaged.)
The Command & Control Technologies group is a provider of mission-critical, highly-mobile C4ISR solutions. Comtech Telecommunications Corp. designs, develops, produces and markets innovative products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions. The Company sells products to a diverse customer base in the global commercial and government communications markets.
