March 27 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman received a $32.7 million contract modification to continue full-rate production for the U.S. Navy's Lot 5 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft.
The modification gives the company the green light for exercising an option for software support activity and additional production work.
Most of the work will be performed in Melbourne, Fla., with additional tasks set to take place in New York, Virginia, Indiana and various other locations. Northrop Grumman is expected to complete the tasks by March 2018.
The company received all funding at the time of the modification award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.
The E-2D is the latest variant of the Air Force's legacy E-2 aircraft, a platform designed to coordinate concurrent missions. The plane is equipped with a radar and a new glass cockpit which allows a five-person crew to coordinate complex operations.