May 18, 2010
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. - Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract by the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide in-service support for Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) used by the U.K. Armed Forces in current operations. The $152 million, three-year contract will include spares, repairs, logistic maintenance, engineering, sustainment and training.
"Our relationship with the U.K. MoD on this particular program dates back to 1995," said Carl Smith, vice president of Infrared Countermeasures for Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division. "Today, we support up to 80 U.K. aircraft encompassing 11 different aircraft types and this latest award will allow us to efficiently maintain our in-country support depot ensuring faster, in-country customer service."
Smith also noted that this month marks the 15th anniversary of the initial directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) development contract awarded to Northrop Grumman by the UK MoD.
"We are truly honored to have been entrusted by the MoD to provide this lifesaving technology and work together with U.K. agencies throughout this period to expand and improve the system," Smith said.
"This strategically important mission-critical contract will enable us to broaden and enhance the range of U.K. capabilities we are able to offer and to provide more responsive and efficient support for our customers," said Sir Nigel Essenhigh, chairman of Northrop Grumman U.K.
The only such aircraft protection system currently in full production, Northrop Grumman's LAIRCM system is now installed or scheduled for installation on several hundred military aircraft to protect approximately 50 different types of large fixed-wing transports and rotary-wing platforms from infrared missile attacks. The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.
U.K. based repair and maintenance services for LAIRCM will be provided at Northrop Grumman's existing U.K. diagnostic and maintenance support facility opened in Chester in 2007. Northrop Grumman's LAIRCM and DIRCM systems are currently installed on a range of U.K. front-line and support aircraft.
Northrop Grumman has a strong presence in the U.K. with a heritage spanning 100 years. The company operates from primary locations in London, Fareham, Chester, Coventry, New Malden, Peterborough, RAF Waddington and Solihull and provides avionics, communications, electronic warfare systems, marine navigation systems, unmanned ground vehicle systems, C4ISR solutions and mission planning, IT systems and software development, and aircraft whole life support.
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