CENTRAL FLORIDA DEFENSE INDUSTRY RECEIVES
FEDERAL FUNDS

Congressman Mica secures $12 million in the FY2006 Defense Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-7th District) announced today that the House of Representatives has approved $12 million for Central Florida defense activities. Funds are included in the Defense Appropriations Act passed in the House last night by a vote of 398-19.

“This federal funding will greatly benefit our region’s defense industry and expand our high-tech, high-paying job base,” Mica stated. “As the global War on Terrorism continues, it is critical that we develop new technologies to defeat new enemies, I am pleased that the Central Florida defense community has played a major role in that work.”

This legislation must next be voted on by the Senate. Below is a list of the funded projects for the 7th District:

Volusia County - $8 million

Advanced Bradley Full-Crew Interactive Simulation Trainers (AB-FIST) - $3 million to purchase this training system which can be easily mounted onto a Bradley Armored Fighting Vehicle, instantaneously converting it into a training system in which an entire Bradley crew practices their combat duties of detecting, identifying, engaging and destroying enemy targets on the battlefield. This system is produced for the Army National Guard by Raydon Corporation of Daytona Beach.

Tabletop Gunnery Trainers (TGT) and Tabletop Full-Fidelity Trainers (TFT) - $3 million to purchase these training systems which are easily portable and can be deployed to provide soldiers with critical convoy, gunnery and maneuver skills. They are produced for the Army National Guard by Raydon Corporation of Daytona Beach.

Offboard Distributed Sensors (Medium N) - $2 million for the research and development of remote acoustic sensors that provide upgraded security against hostile submarines. These sensors allow for faster deployment and more continuous detection of underwater submarines and will provide much greater protection of coastal areas and U.S. forces at sea. This system is being designed for the U.S. Navy by Sparton Electronics of DeLeon Springs.

Seminole County - $3 million

Electronic Warfare Battlefield Information Fusion Program - $3 million for the development of software and connectivity tools that will better process intelligence from several intelligence and reconnaissance sources. This system will provide greater force protection by speeding up real-time intelligence. It will be used by the U.S. Marine Corps and is being developed by Electronic Warfare Associates of Lake Mary.

Orange County - $1 million

Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams Trainers - $1 million to develop a comprehensive recurrent training program focusing on individual and group training for emergency response. These systems are essential in preparing to respond to any type of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident. This training will be utilized by the Army National Guard teams and developed by Engineering & Computer Simulations of Orlando.