Northrop Grumman Awarded Rapid Prototyping, Integration and Development Contract

Released on Monday, November 17, 2008

BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 17, 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract by the 50th Space Wing supporting the Space Innovation and Development Center's Aerospace Fusion Center (AFC) at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Rapid Prototyping, Integration and Development (RaPID) program.

RaPID is a program that provides operations and maintenance (O&M) support to the AFC and research and development (R&D) in Overhead Non-imaging Infrared (ONIR) ground processing systems to support missile defense, battlespace awareness and space situational awareness missions. The contract is valued up to $72.5 million.

This contract continues Northrop Grumman's relationship with the AFC for ONIR technology. The company received a contract for RaPID in 2005 for ONIR R&D and to provide ONIR data to multiple R&D users. The new follow-on contract covers funding for fiscal year (FY) 2009 with annual options through FY 2013.

Under the new contract, Northrop Grumman will provide the AFC with O&M and R&D for the Space Awareness and Global Exploitation (SAGE) system, which is a state-of-the-art multi-sensor, multi-mission fusion engine that provides information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to many R&D users. The company will also support the Static Infrared Emitter (SIRE) processor, SAGE client displays, and affiliated hardware, software, crypto and communication lines.

"This award will allow us to broaden our sensor exploitation system contributions to the AFC," said Joseph J. Ensor, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Space and ISR Systems Division. "As we continue the development of the SAGE system, we will meet the expanding ONIR data needs of a wide variety of end users."

Requirements also include the utilization of SAGE analysis events in both real-time and playback mode, integration and tuning of advanced ONIR fusion algorithms in SAGE, providing operational performance assessment, incorporating mission performance improvements on SAGE, and system administration functions. The contract also allows for RaPID to be used by various organizations for their own R&D in such areas as missile defense, battlespace awareness and space situational awareness.