BAE Systems will equip special operations forces vehicles with thermal imaging systems that enhance forward and rearward visibility.

The technology systems will fuse visible-light and infrared imagery to provide the vehicle driver the best possible view in daylight, darkness and all weather conditions.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center awarded the company a $50 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the Driver's Ground Mobility Visual Augmentation System (DR-GMVAS).

The system will enable special operations forces operators to navigate vehicles; conduct surveillance; and detect, identify, and track threats in all weather conditions.

"Combining inputs from multiple sensors into a single fused image will give vehicle occupants unprecedented ability to observe their surroundings in poor weather and in darkness," said David Rohde, DR-GMVAS program manager at BAE Systems in Austin, Texas.

"It will give special operations forces an important advantage in the global war on terrorism."