As a part of General Dynamics Land Systems (Sterling Heights, Mich.), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, General Dynamics Robotic Systems, was awarded by the U.S. Army an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a total potential value of $40 million for production of the robotic Mobile Detection and Assessment and Response System (MDARS).  

    General Dynamics Robotic Systems will manufacture the semi-autonomous security vehicles and provide spare parts, training and technical services for a five-year period and the work will be done at its Westminster, Md., production facility.

    Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada will receive the first four robotic security vehicles produced under this program. The MDARS demonstration vehicles, since 2005, have been evaluated at the depot logging more than 8,000 hours and 28,000 miles of service.

    MDARS autonomously conducts surveillance activities including checking for intruders, remotely investigating alarm sources, monitoring high-value inventory and assessing facility barriers, such as the doors of storage bunkers. MDARS is a diesel-powered, 4-wheel hydrostatic-drive vehicle, with a payload capacity of 500 lbs. The vehicle is equipped with a real-time obstacle avoidance system and 360-degree sensors. It can operate for 16 hours without refueling and at speeds up to 20 miles per hour.