By Ann Roosevelt
Northrop Grumman [NOC] Feb. 19 announced MBDA Italia has selected the company to provide the navigation and localization system for the U.S., German and Italian Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Under the contract, Northrop Grumman’s Italian subsidiary, Northrop Grumman Italia, will be responsible for the navigation and localization system that supports the radars and launchers which are part of the MEADS program.
“We have been providing military navigation systems and services to the Italian government as well as other European nations for nearly 50 years,” Giovanni Morelli, business development director for Northrop Grumman Italia, said. “The proven capabilities of our navigation systems will help enable MEADS to offer significant improvements over existing defense systems.”
MBDA Italia is part of MEADS International, a multinational joint venture including Lenkflugkorpersysteme (LFK) in Germany and Lockheed Martin [LMT] in the United States.
The design and development phase of the MEADS program began in 2004 and is now in the design and development phase. It recently successfully completed its preliminary design review and is moving into detailed design work aimed at a critical design review next year (Defense Daily, Feb. 15). Seven increasingly complex flight tests are scheduled for 2011 through 2013.
MEADS is expected to replace U.S. Patriot systems, Italy’s Nike Hercules systems, and to supplement and eventually replace Patriot systems in Germany. The mobile, 360 degree protective system is planned to protect maneuvering forces as well as fixed installations against current and next-generation missile threats, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft.
Northrop Grumman Italia is part of the Navigation Systems Division, headquartered in California. Northrop Grumman Italia provides a variety of navigation systems and products used in air, naval and land-based applications and it serves as a prime contractor for domestic Italian and European collaborative programs.
In Europe, Northrop Grumman operates from locations in France, Germany, Italy and Norway.
The MEADS total program contract is valued at about $3.4 billion, of which about $2 billion goes to work in the United States, $500 million to work in Italy, and other funds to Germany. The United States funds 58 percent of the MEADS program, Germany provides 25 percent and Italy 17 percent as partners in the NATO Medium Extended Air Defense System Management Organization (NAMEADSMO). Its program management agency, NAMEADSMA, is located in Huntsville, Ala.