US Army Awards Northrop Grumman $97M Contract to Procure and Modify UAVs

HERNDON, Va., Nov. 3, 2008 -- The U.S. Army has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $97 million contract to procure, modify and deliver 12 Hunter MQ-5B Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft; six One-System Block II ground control stations; eight tactical common data link, ground data link terminal sets; two sets of ground support equipment; and four sets of spare parts.

The Hunter Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) contract is to be carried out under the contractor logistic support (CLS) 2008 contract, a cost-plus-fixed fee effort with a lifespan of up to five years. The award was made through a modification to the Hunter CLS 2008 contract and will be performed over a period of two years with a third year option.

Northrop Grumman's teammates include: Stark Aerospace, Starkville, Miss.; L-3 Communications, Salt Lake City; Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; AAI Corporation, Hunt Valley, Md..; APL GmbH, Germany; and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.'s TAMAM Division, Israel. Work will primarily be performed at Northrop Grumman's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Center of Excellence, Sierra Vista, Ariz., and facilities at Starkville, Miss.

In addition to the hardware procurement, modification and delivery, Northrop Grumman will also update all publications and technical manuals for the Hunter to include those pertaining to maintenance, training and operation.

"This contract win is a clear indicator that the Army values the Hunter as a 'combat multiplier' throughout its battlespace in providing real-time intelligence to the soldier on the front lines," said Karl Purdy, Northrop Grumman Technical Services program manager for the contract. "Further, this contract is a validation of Hunter's sustainability and dependability in accomplishing their critical ISR mission."

Hunter is part of Northrop Grumman's unmatched unmanned systems product line that includes the high-altitude, long-endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk, the Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration program, the Euro Hawk, the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program, the MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Air System (VUAS), aerial targets and the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.