RESTON, Va., Jan. 9, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that it will lead a team to compete for the U.S. Army's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS), an airborne platform that will provide the warfighter with actionable intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition capability.
Northrop Grumman's ACS team includes AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems Corporation; General Dynamics C-4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz.; and L-3 Communications Corp., New York.
"The most effective weapon the U.S. Army can give its warfighter is knowledge of the enemy's whereabouts and intentions before he knows he's been detected," said Jerry Agee, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector. "Combining best-of-industry capabilities with extensive multi-intelligence operation domain knowledge, this team can provide the Army an affordable, low-risk solution built on battle-proven technology. The Army's vision for ACS is achievable, and Northrop Grumman's ACS team is ready now to provide our soldiers a coherent tactical picture unlike any previously available."
ACS will be a unique, next-generation intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition aircraft, which will-from the moment it arrives over the battle field-provide commanders in theater and troops on the ground with critical situational intelligence. ACS will detect troop movements and intercept communications and radar transmissions, allowing the Army to direct dominant and effective firepower before enemy forces know they've been detected.
Northrop Grumman brings decades of experience designing, developing, and integrating airborne command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) platforms and sensors and will leverage its broad experience integrating complex mission equipment requirements across a broad range of C4ISR platforms to serve as prime contractor and overall systems integrator for ACS.
"AAI brings to this effort a successful history of designing, manufacturing, and servicing unmanned reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition systems, as well as advanced ground control station and interoperable network technologies," explained Steve Reid, vice president of unmanned aircraft systems for AAI Corporation. "Working with this prestigious team, AAI will align its unmanned technologies with manned aircraft assets to deliver essential intelligence capabilities to the warfighter."
"General Dynamics has a strong heritage in developing and maintaining air, ground and maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems for the military," said Manny Mora, vice president of Battle Management Systems for General Dynamics C4 Systems. "This expertise combined with our proven battle management, information security and training capabilities will enhance the development of the ACS system."
"The complexity of the future threat environment depends on near-real time multi-source intelligence," said Bob Drewes, president of L-3's Integrated Systems Group. "ACS, networked with the Army's Distributed Common Ground System and family of systems intelligence capabilities, will provide that actionable information; and our partnership with Northrop Grumman, AAI and General Dynamics is the right one to deliver that full capability. L-3 has unequaled systems integration experience in intelligence aircraft and is proud to join our partners in this pursuit."
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $31.5 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.