Flir Systems Inc. is being awarded a $47.6 million contract by the US Navy for up to 700 handheld thermal imaging systems for the US Special Operations Command, Special Operations Visual Augmentation Systems, the Department of Defense said in a statement. The systems will be used for long-range viewing and detection of targets. The contract was commissioned by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, based in Crane, Ind. Work will be performed at Flir's North Billerica, Mass., facility and is expected to be completed by September 2012. Flir announced last week it has also received a $28.6 million order from the United Arab Emirates. For more information, visit: www.flir.com