ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., Jan. 8, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to provide 42 additional LITENING Advanced Targeting (AT) systems, spares and other support for use by the Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps.
The contract is part of an ongoing Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract with the Air Force.
"This follow-on order reconfirms LITENING as the advanced targeting and sensor system of choice for our warfighters," said Mike Lennon, vice president of targeting and surveillance programs at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division. "The bundling of three separate orders in the ID/IQ contract allowed our Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard, and Marine Corps customers to take advantage of volume pricing and timely delivery schedules."
Northrop Grumman's LITENING AT system is a self-contained, multi-sensor laser target-designating and navigation system that enables aircrews to detect, acquire, track and identify ground targets for highly accurate delivery of both conventional and precision-guided weapons. To date, over 440 pods have been ordered by the U.S. Air Force and allied nations with more than 360 systems fielded, the largest number of any advanced targeting and sensor system. LITENING is currently deployed on AV-8B, A-10, B-52, F-15E, F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft. Since the introduction of LITENING in 1999, the system has undergone numerous major upgrades to ensure continued combat relevance in an ever-changing battlespace. A fourth generation version, now in development, represents the next step in that evolution.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.