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We're in the army now: IT firms queue up for £1bn contract
Voice-activated ammunition and everything...

By Jon Bernstein

Published: Monday 25 February 2002

Four IT firms are battling it out to win a defence contract understood to be worth £1bn.

Marconi, Thales Defence, BEA Systems and Raytheon are all in the running for an MoD project called Fist (Future Integrated Soldier Technology).

The Fist project aims to equip 35,000 military personnel with state-of-the-art machinery including helmet visors with computer screens and voice-activated ammunition.

The deal is officially worth £400m but the Independent on Sunday has learnt that the contract is likely to rise to £1bn once maintenance is added in.