The Navy has awarded WR Systems Ltd. a $27 million contract for navigation and communications products and support for Navy vessels in the United States and worldwide, the company announced Monday.
"It's probably the most significant contract we have ever won," said Dave Edwards, senior vice president and director of WR Systems' Engineering Services Division in Norfolk, which employs nearly 220 people.
The contract could be worth as much as $140.6 million if all options are exercised.
The work, 75 percent of which will be performed in Hampton Roads, will include supporting the Navy in the certification of navigation systems throughout the fleet, in research and development in drug interdiction, and in equipment and systems training for the fleet.
The remainder of the work will be performed at locations including Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Jacksonville, Fla., as well as foreign military sites.
The initial work is expected to be completed by October 2010. If all options are exercised, the completion date will be October 2014.
Historically, WR Systems has specialized in Navy navigation and
communications systems. It moved into the commercial market recently by developing a pollution-monitoring system for oceangoing vessels.
The company will help global shipping lines comply with tough new international air-emissions standards expected to take effect within the next few years.
The company, based in Fairfax, has been testing a prototype with the help of Norfolk-based Maersk Line Ltd.
It plans to begin marketing its "continuous emissions monitoring system" in early 2010.
WR Systems expects to hire additional staff for the work on the Navy contract and to meet demand for the new pollution-monitoring system.
Robert McCabe, (757) 446-2327, robert.mccabe@pilotonline.com
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woo hoo
Woo hoo, way to go WRSystems!