Northrop to assist Navy electronic aircraft program

Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems will provide engineering and software services to the Navy under a four-year contract worth $48.5 million.

The contract calls for Northrop Grumman to provide information technology support for the Navy's EA-6B Prowler, a long-range, all-weather aircraft with advanced electronic countermeasures capability, and the EA-18G attack aircraft, which is under development and will be the cornerstone of the Navy's airborne electronic attack mission.

Northrop Grumman will provide design, development, testing and distribution services for the programs. The company will also furnish flight testing, aircraft systems integration and engineering support.

The company will perform the work at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in Point Mugu, Calif., and China Lake, Calif.; the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, Md.; the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island, Wash.; and the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, N.C.

The contract is expected to be completed in August 2012. The Point Mugu facility is the contracting authority.

Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, of Bethpage, N.Y., is a unit of Northrop Grumman Corp., of Los Angeles. The parent company ranks No. 3 on Washington Technology's 2008 Top 100 list of the largest federal government prime contractors.