Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated System sector has been awarded a $49 M, nine-year contract by the US 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, FL, 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 Munitions (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 war fighters the edge."
Northrop Grumman's team consists of the company's Information Technology sector, San Pedro, CA; Zeltech, Hampton, VA; and 21st Century Business Consultants Inc., Waldorf, MD. The first phase of the contract has a value of $4.1 M 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' site in Hollywood, MD, and Niceville, FL.