Northrop tapped to help Slovakia

Northrop Grumman Corp. won a contract from the Air Force to build a national military command-and-control system for Slovakia, the company said today.

The command center will be in Bratislava, the country's capital, and is scheduled for delivery in February 2005. The company declined to disclose the amount of the contract.

The work was awarded as a U.S. government foreign military sales program by the Air Force Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts. Northrop Grumman mission systems division in Reston, Va., will integrate, install, test and deliver the command-and-control system within six months.

The company also will provide onsite system support and continue to train Slovakian soldiers to use the system for an additional six months as well as provide off-site support through May 2007.

"The Slovakian National Military Command Center reflects the increasing importance of Eastern Europe in U.S. national policy and Northrop Grumman's leadership in this strategic area," said Barry Rhine, president of Northrop Grumman's defense mission systems unit.

Earlier this year, Northrop Grumman built a national military command-and-control system for Bulgaria. The company did not disclose the contract amount.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Northrop Grumman is No. 2 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100 list. The company employs 120,000 workers and had 2003 revenue of $26.2 billion.