Navy awards contract for bomb-disposal robots

The Navy has awarded iRobot Corp. a $230 million contract to provide its PackBot man-transportable robotic system and support services for explosive ordnance disposal missions.

The contract, which is scheduled to be completed by April 2015, was awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Indian Head Division.

The Navy has awarded iRobot Corp. a $230 million contract to provide its PackBot man-transportable robotic system and support services for explosive ordnance disposal missions.

Under the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, iRobot will supply Packbot production systems, parts and accessories, and engineering and configuration services, the Defense Department said April 12.

Navy and Marine Corps EOD technicians use the small robotic vehicle to search for improvised explosive devices and to conduct reconnaissance in remote locations.