Business Notes DEFENSE CONTRACTS

To quench their thirst and stave off dehydration, U.S. troops in the 120 degreesF Saudi Arabian desert must drink up to 8 gal. of water a day. Much of the vital liquid comes from local bottled well water that is cumbersome to transport.

In a move that will help wean soldiers from the plastic bottles, Milwaukee- based Aqua-Chem last month shipped Operation Desert Shield three state-of- , the-art water-purification units with a total value of nearly $1 million. Each of the mobile units, which use a process called reverse osmosis to convert salt water or contaminated water to drinking water, can produce up to 3,000 gal. per hour under battlefield conditions. Together the units can meet the needs of 10,000 troops a day.

Aqua-Chem sped production and delivery of the purifiers, which were originally part of a $31 million, 98-unit order that the military placed with the firm in 1987. The company plans to ship three more mobile units to the army next spring.