HOLLYWOOD, Md., Sept. 5, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Integrated Systems sector has been awarded a $49 million, nine-year contract by the U.S. Air Force to provide Precision Guided Munitions Planning Software (PGMPS). This program will give the Air Force a common, integrated, personal computer-based mission planning application for all current and future USAF PGMs and their variants.
The Air Armament Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., selected Northrop Grumman PRB Systems, a unit of the Integrated Systems' Airborne Early Warning and Electronic Warfare (AEW & EW) Systems business area, to develop the PGMPS user interface to provide a common, consistent weapon planning process for all USAF PGMs.
PGMPS will be a unique planning component of the Joint Mission Planning System and will replace the current weapon planning modules for the AGM-130/GBU-15, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and other future PGMs.
"This program clearly establishes Northrop Grumman as the leader for PGM planning in the Air Force and presents a strategic opportunity for Integrated Systems to be a major contributor to streamlining the joint targeting process," said Larry Schadegg, president of PRB Systems. "With our teammates, we are positioned to develop a robust and cost effective solution to give our warfighters the edge."
Northrop Grumman's team consists of the company's Information Technology sector, San Pedro, Calif.; Zeltech, Hampton, Va.; and 21st Century Business Consultants, Inc., Waldorf, Md.
The first phase of the contract has a value of $4.1 million over 18 months and includes work for WCMD, AGM-130, JDAM and JSOW. Over the life of the contract, Northrop Grumman will analyze requirements, design, develop, document, test and qualify the initial releases of PGMPS and updates; provide training to support the testing and fielding of the software; and support training and integration to achieve operational use and fielding. The work will be performed at AEW & EW Systems' PRB Systems' sites in Hollywood, Md., and Niceville, Fla.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace systems integration enterprise. Integrated Systems has the capabilities to design, develop, integrate, produce and support complete systems, as well as airframe subsystems, for airborne surveillance and battle management, early warning, airborne electronic warfare and air combat aircraft. It is also integrating these capabilities for emerging network-centric warfare concepts.
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