Northrop Grumman [NOC] recently said it has been awarded a $97 million Army contract for Hunter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and associated equipment.
Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will procure, modify and deliver 12 Hunter MQ-5B UAVs; six One-System Block II ground control stations; eight tactical common data link, ground data link terminal sets; two sets of ground support equipment; and four sets of spare parts.
The Hunter Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) contract will be carried out under the 2008 contractor logistic support contract, a cost-plus-fixed fee effort with a lifespan of up to five years. The award was made through a modification to the Hunter CLS 2008 contract and will be performed over a period of two years with a third year option.
Northrop Grumman’s teammates include: Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of IAI International (IAI); L-3 Communications [LLL]; Rockwell Collins [COL]; AAI Corp. [TXT]; APL GmbH, Germany; and IAI’s TAMAM Div., Israel.
In addition to the hardware procurement, modification and delivery, Northrop Grumman will also update all publications and technical manuals for the Hunter to include those pertaining to maintenance, training and operation.
“This contract win is a clear indicator that the Army values the Hunter as a combat multiplier throughout its battlespace in providing real-time intelligence to the soldier on the front lines,” Karl Purdy, Northrop Grumman Technical Services program manager for the contract, said in a statement. “Further, this contract is a validation of Hunter’s sustainability and dependability in accomplishing their critical ISR mission.”
In 1996, the RQ-5A Hunter became the Army’s first fielded UAV.
Hunter is part of Northrop Grumman’s UAS product line that includes the high-altitude, long-endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk, the Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration program, the Euro Hawk, the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program, the MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Air System (VUAS), aerial targets and the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System.