Army ground combat vehicles getting new transmission system NEW YORK, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A new transmission system for U.S. Army ground combat vehicles is to be developed by a division of L-3 Communications under a $20 million contract. L-3 said the transmission to be developed by its Combat Propulsion Systems Division will be used as a drop-in replacement for existing transmission systems, enhancing the Army's power, mobility and life-cycle support requirements. "Winning the Gemini Transmission design and development program reflects our customer's continued confidence in L-3 to advance transmission technology and effectively transition new designs to production, which would ultimately deliver improved performance, reliability and life-cycle costs to our customer," said Steve Kantor, president of L-3's Electronic Systems Group. By leveraging our expertise in transmission design and production and through strategic partnerships, L-3 CPS is now under contract with the customer to mature all four of the next-generation transmissions for the Armored Brigade Combat Team's family of heavy vehicles, including the HMPT 800 series of transmissions. L-3 said work on the project will take place at L-3's Muskegon, Mich., facility, and will continue through 2017.