PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 9 -- FLIR Systems Inc. has been awarded a $12.0 million contract to supply the US Navy with 61 thermal imaging systems, dubbed MarFLIR, for the Navy's maritime applications. The current contract is an initial delivery order on a larger contract for up to 85 systems over five years.Introduced in the second quarter of 1999, MarFLIR is an inverted stabilized 9-inch gimbaled forward-looking infrared system designed especially for the maritime environment. The system is a product of FLIR Systems' merger with Inframetrics. The MarFLIR can be mounted on a vessel's mast or wheelhouse and has full de-icing capabilities. It features a 10x continuous zoom lens and high-sensitivity infrared detector, as well as a laser range finder and an auto tracker. FLIR Systems also received a $5.0 million contract from the US Marine Corps for subsystems for the company's advanced airborne thermal imaging system, the Star SAFIRE, which is deployed on the Marine Corps' UH-1N helicopters. The Star SAFIRE employs advanced infrared technology and three optical fields of view for long-range identification and image clarity in adverse climates.