HERNDON, Va., Dec. 10, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to develop an infrastructure supporting the exchange of command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) information in a highly mobile, secure operating environment. The Information For Mobile Warrior (IFMW) program will result in an infrastructure that provides the Air Force with a secure mobile communications solution using a wide range of existing and future tactical and commercial wireless radio technologies.
The contract is valued at $24.9 million over five years to Northrop Grumman's Information Technology (IT) sector.
"This win is a significant step in establishing interoperability capabilities between legacy low-bandwidth communications systems and new fourth-generation communications capabilities that will be used in the near future in support of homeland defense," said James O'Neill, president, TASC, Northrop Grumman IT. "We will help our Department of Defense evolve to new technologies while enhancing existing capabilities and ensuring continuous and reliable data exchange."
The IFMW infrastructure consists of selected off-the-shelf hardware and software components integrated with commercial and military global communications assets to provide an Internet-like capability for global information exchange. The system integrates enabling technology in information management, network management and global communications into a synergistic information exchange system responsive to a global mission by providing bridges and gateways between disparate communication systems.
In addition to developing IFMW, a series of field evaluations and worldwide exercises is planned to test and analyze these capabilities within the Air Mobility Command and other Defense Department mission environments.
Northrop Grumman IT's team members on the program include Alphatech Inc., Bedford, Mass.; ARINC Inc., Annapolis, Md.; Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Va.; Capraro Technologies Inc. and CTI Inc., Utica, N.Y.; Wetstone Technologies Inc., Cortland, N.Y.; General Dynamics Corporation, Falls Church, Va.; and ITT Industries Inc., White Plains, N.Y.
The integration work of the various system capabilities will be performed in the IFMW lab at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y.
Northrop Grumman Information Technology, based in Herndon, Va., is a leading provider of IT solutions for federal, state and local government agencies and commercial customers. The company's expertise spans such areas as information systems integration; cyber security; command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR); homeland security; enterprise hardware and software solutions; training and simulation; base and range support; signals intelligence; health informatics; space systems; and specialized scientific, engineering and technical services.
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