ST. LOUIS, May 13 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) says it has contracted St. Louis-based LaBarge to support the multirole electronically scanned array radar system with electronic subsystems.

LaBarge, a member of the MESA production team since 2002, was contracted for $12 million by Northrop Grumman. The company's electronic subsystems will go to support Northrop Grumman's MESA radar technology which is an early warning technology deployed in military aircrafts.

The next-generation airborne surveillance radar system is mounted on top of the Boeing-manufactured 737-700 aircraft's fuselage. Officials say it has a "long detection range with a 360-degree electronic scan that can simultaneously track air and sea targets, covering the entire operational area with an integrated identification friend or foe mode," the release said.

LaBarge says the electronic subsystems production will take place at the company's Huntsville, Ark., facility through mid-2009.