Leonardo DRS wins U.S. Army contract for thermal imaging program

Leonardo DRS, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRS) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) C5ISR Center to support the Delivering Unmatched Thermal Capability Hastened (DUTCH) initiative, the company announced Oct. 13, 2026.

The DUTCH initiative, supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies, is focused on accelerating the development of next-generation uncooled thermal infrared sensing capabilities for defense applications.

Under the contract, Leonardo DRS will demonstrate high-definition, high-frame-rate uncooled thermal camera cores. Potential applications listed include unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS, missile and rocket seekers, weapon sights, night-vision systems, ground-vehicle sensing and targeting, and unmanned surface vessels.

Jerry Hathaway, senior vice president and general manager of Leonardo DRS Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems, said: "Our selection for the DUTCH initiative reflects the depth of our uncooled IR technology portfolio, our understanding of operational needs and our ability to transition advanced sensing capabilities into scalable production."

The company maintains dual-site camera assembly and test facilities in Dallas, Texas, and Melbourne, Florida. Leonardo DRS said it is expanding manufacturing capacity and broadening its supply base across key components to support increased demand for thermal sensing products.

No contract value was disclosed in the announcement.

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