BALTIMORE, April 4 (UPI) -- Northrop Gruman received a $256.6 million contract to develop a new expeditionary radar system called G/ATOR for the U.S. Marine Corps.
The project calls for the initial development, construction and testing of G/ATOR (Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar), which will handle the missions of five separate USMC radar systems currently in use.
Northrop's Electronic Systems unit based in Baltimore will lead the project, which also includes Australia's CEA Technologies and American contractors Caterpillar Logistics, Sensis Corp., and Techrizon.
"Our company brings extensive capabilities in data fusion, correlation, tracking and network connectivity to the Marine Corps' next generation multi-mission radar system," Northrop Vice President Emmitt Gibson boasted in a news release Wednesday.
Northrop's Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar will be the basis for G/ATOR to provide air traffic control as well as detection and targeting of hostile aircraft, cruise missiles, rockets, mortar fire and artillery. An open architecture will allow G/ATOR to network with other U.S. and allied command-and-control systems.
The Marines plan to eventually field 63 G/ATOR systems. The contract announced Wednesday specifies a low-rate production of two systems followed by full-rate production of 15 units plus logistical support.
