DRS Technologies, a Finmeccanica company, announced its Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Group in Dallas, Texas has won the 2011 Aviation Week Programme Excellence award in the category of “Sub-System Level Sustainment.”

The recognition acknowledges the decade of work carried out by DRS RSTA in consistently updating and maintaining its mast mounted sight (MMS) that is deployed on the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter. DRS gained finalist status in its category and was the only winner in the subsystem sustainment area.

The MMS is a surveillance system that incorporates a high-resolution TV camera, thermal imaging sensor and laser rangefinder/designator, along with a system processor, power supply, protective shrouds and other components. The system was initially designed more than 30 years ago, and over the past decade DRS has produced and repaired electronics and sensors for the MMS to keep it up to date, replacing and evolving components at 16 field service sites in the US and overseas. Among them are forward repair activity (FRA) sites in Iraq and Afghanistan.

DRS has maintained the operational readiness for the MMS at more than 95 per cent throughout its contract, enabling the MMS to avoid obsolescence and significantly reducing overall costs for the army.