Northrop Grumman Gains $303M Air Force Contract

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. said Friday it has received a $302.9 million U.S. Air Force contract for five unmanned aircraft systems.

Under the contract for five RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft systems, Northrop Grumman will build five systems for the 303d Aeronautical Systems Group at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

The award also includes a ground station including elements for launch and recovery and mission control in addition to two additional sensor suites that will be retrofitted into production aircraft.

The contract runs through 2011.

The Global Hawk can fly at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for more than 32 hours and send near real-time reconnaissance imagery and signals intelligence data to forces in the air, on the ground and at sea.

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