The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Virginia-based Chemring Sensors and Electronic Systems Inc. a $200,2 million contract modification to manufacture and deliver Army’s Husky hunts IEDs (improvised explosive devices), it announced on 11 May.

The Husky is an effective and reliable system that has located thousands of IEDs since it has been deployed by the Army.

The contract award from U.S. Army Contracting Command covers develop, integrate and produce and deliver Husky Mounted Detection System kits, spare parts, maintenance and training.

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 15, 2022.

The “Husky” was initially used to detect mines in Africa and was later outfitted to meet route clearance needs of American Soldiers. The Husky vehicle is a hybrid of a tractor and Humvee, with a V-shaped hull that resists explosive blasts.

The IED hunter uses “ground penetrating radar,” and it is the Husky’s core capability. The radar is first calibrated by taking a sample of the local surface. This sampling then makes it easier to search for anything that seems out of place in the soil, rock, asphalt or other surface over which a convoy would proceed.