The Longbow, LLC joint venture between Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Northrop Grumman [NOC] has sealed a $170.5 million deal to provide the U.S. Army and three other nations with AH-64E Apache gunship radar upgrades.
Announced July 18, the contract is for Longbow fire-control radar (FCR) mast-mounted assemblies, radar electronics units (REU) and spares under lots seven and eight of a multiyear U.S. Army deal, and for the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“We remain focused on delivering significant upgrades and products as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Jim Messina, Longbow president and director programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This contract allows us to supply the U.S. Army fleet with REUs, which is the foundation for future enhancements like extended range, maritime mode and unmanned aerial systems detection.”
The MMA and REU are key components of the Longbow FCR, which automatically searches, detects, locates, classifies and prioritizes multiple moving or stationary targets on land or in the air, in clear or adverse weather, and in obscured environments.
With the contract finalized, Qatar becomes the 13th international customer to receive the Longbow fire-control radar upgrades.
Production will extend through April 2021 at Lockheed Martin’s Orlando and Ocala, Fla., facilities and at Northrop Grumman’s Baltimore, Md., facility.
“The LONGBOW FCR REU continues to provide outstanding capabilities to our customers,” said Susan Bruce, Longbow’s vice president and vice president of advanced tactical systems at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. “The REU provides growth capabilities to LONGBOW FCR while reducing space, weight and power, along with maintenance cost.”