Army PEO IEW&S completes deliveries of soldier protection systems

The Army has completed delivery of more 3,000 systems under the Individual Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronics Warfare (ICREW) program, reports the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S) and the program’s prime contractor Sierra Nevada.

Known as the “Baldr” for the god in Norse mythology, the system is a dismounted, counter-radio-controlled improvised explosive device (RCIED) unit. Soldiers in theater wear the 8.9-pound Baldr system to provide a zone of individual protection against RCIED during ground operations. Sierra Nevada manufactures the system in Sparks, Nev.

The Army launched the ICREW program in 2012 based on an urgent need from U.S. forces serving overseas for ultra-light RCIED protection for individual soldiers. The contract to manufacture the systems was worth $56.5 million, and Sierra Nevada delivered all the systems in eight months.