Leonardo DRS awarded JETS II prototype contract

The Army has awarded a 30-month performance contract to Leonardo DRS to produce a prototype of the next-generation Joint Effects Targeting System (JETS II), the company announced today.

JETS II is a handheld precision laser targeting system used by forward observers to “call in precision munitions in a wide range of combat scenarios,” according to Leonardo DRS. The system includes day and thermal night vision capabilities, a “celestial” navigation system, laser range finder and compass, according to the announcement.

Leonardo DRS won the Army’s original JETS contract in 2016 for $339 million.

Jerry Hathaway, Leonardo’s senior vice president and general manager for the electro-optical and infrared systems business unit, said in a statement Monday that the company’s JETS II technology builds on its JETS I technology “to provide the most comprehensive handheld target location system available today.”

“By working closely with our customer and listening to their needs, we have delivered a product that gives users a distinct advantage on the battlefield,” he said.

Monday’s announcement follows a similar one last week in which the Army chose Elbit Systems of America to develop and quality a prototype for JETS II. The service had released a JETS II request for prototype proposals in November 2022.