[JLRC]

General Dynamics Receives $15 Million Contract for Goalkeeper Weapon Systems
 
 
(Source: General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products; issued Dec. 14, 2004)
 
 
 CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a $15 million contract from THALES Nederland for the production of Goalkeeper weapon systems. Deliveries will commence in February 2006 and extend through May 2006.  
 
Goalkeeper is an extremely accurate gun-based system that protects ships against close-in, high-speed missiles and aircraft. The system combines a high-performance General Dynamics turret mount and seven-barrel 30mm Gatling gun with search-and-track radars and related computational electronics from THALES Nederland. The integrated radars automatically and continuously evaluate, prioritize and track multiple targets and precisely maneuver the 4,200 shot-per-minute 30mm Gatling gun to eliminate the threat.  
 
Goalkeeper, a joint effort of THALES Nederland with General Dynamics, has been in production since the early 1980s. Program management, assembly and testing will all be performed at the General Dynamics Burlington Technology Center in Burlington, Vt.  
 
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, located in Charlotte, N.C., provides a broad range of system solutions for military and commercial applications. The company designs, develops and produces high-performance armament systems; a full range of advanced composite-based products; biological and chemical detection systems; and mobile shelter systems.  
 
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 71,600 people worldwide and anticipates 2004 revenue in excess of $19 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation.  
 
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[JLRC]

General Dynamics Partners with Heckler & Koch to Create U.S. Source for XM8 Modular Weapon System
 
 
(Source: General Dynamics; issued Jan. 3, 2005)
 
 
 FALLS CHURCH, Va. --- General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, and Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf, Germany, have created a U.S.-based joint venture company to manufacture and deliver the 5.56mm XM8 Light Weight Modular Carbine System to U.S. government customers.  
 
Art Veitch, General Dynamics executive vice president for Combat Systems, said, "This partnership expands General Dynamics' ability to meet the varied requirements of the U.S. infantry soldier, our traditional customer, while providing the government with a domestic supply of a crucial transformational weapon system. We look forward to working with Heckler & Koch to achieve the full U.S. market potential for this excellent weapon."  
 
The XM8 Light Weight Modular Weapon System has been proposed as a replacement for the current M16 rifle and M4 carbine, the standard infantry weapons in today's U.S. military. The XM8's action is based on the Heckler & Koch G36, a proven infantry weapon. Different barrels and other modules can be swapped quickly to meet changing mission requirements. Variants include the baseline carbine, a sub-machine gun-like personal defense weapon, a sharpshooter's configuration and a variant for use as a heavy-duty machine gun for sustained rapid-fire applications. An optional add-on 40mm grenade launcher is also available.  
 
Heckler & Koch, a leader in the design and manufacturing of technologically advanced firearms for defense and law enforcement, is the firm behind some of the most well known firearms of the last fifty years including the G3 rifle, MP5 submachine gun, USP pistol, and newer models such as the MP7 Personal Defense Weapon, the UMP submachine gun, and the G36 weapon system. The company has U.S. operations based in Sterling, Va.  
 
General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems is a business unit within the General Dynamics Combat Systems group. The unit is composed of the three European land combat systems companies owned by General Dynamics: MOWAG AG, of Kreuzlingen, Switzerland; General Dynamics Santa Barbara Sistemas, of Madrid, Spain; and Steyr Spezialfahrzeug, based in Vienna, Austria.  
 
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 71,600 people worldwide and anticipates 2004 revenue in excess of $19 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation.  
 
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