LONGBOW LLC Secures Contract for Up to $235.8 M for Fire Control Radar Sustainment Work

The U.S. Army recently awarded LONGBOW Limited Liability Company (LBL), a joint venture of Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), a five-year sustainment indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for up to $235.8 million to provide post production support services for the AH-64 Apache helicopter AN/APG-78 LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR) to international customers.

The IDIQ contract value is estimated over five years and now provides tailorable services as individual orders for foreign military sales customers. Post-production sustainment services include program and logistics management, repair of system modules as required, replenishment of depot parts, field engineering support, and operator and maintainer training for AH-64D and AH-64E configurations.

"With a tailored sustainment approach, customers have the flexibility to add services as needed based on fleet demands," said Jim Messina, LBL president and Lockheed Martin program director. "This contract also enhances LBL's agility to achieve our customers' sustainability requirements."

The sustainment IDIQ contract includes initial task orders for 12 foreign military customers in 11 nations, three of which have been awarded, with others planned for transition by year-end. Additional customers may also be added during the five-year contract period of performance.

"A significant benefit of the sustainment IDIQ contract vehicle is rapid contract award timeline for our international allies," said Shalini Gupta, LBL vice president and Northrop Grumman director for LONGBOW programs. "LBL can now be awarded sustainment task orders within weeks after Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) signature, versus the previous timeline of years to complete the contract process."

The LONGBOW FCR provides Apache aircrews with automatic target detection, location, classification and prioritization, while enabling rapid, multi-target engagement in all weather conditions over multiple types of terrain and through battlefield obscurants.

During the U.S. Army's AH-64E Apache Follow-On Test and Evaluation II (FOT&E II), the modernized Version 6 LONGBOW FCR successfully demonstrated many new operational modes and capabilities, including maritime, single target track, and 360-degree surveillance mode, as well as extended detection range capability against land, air and sea targets. To date, nearly 500 LONGBOW FCR systems have been delivered to the U.S. Army and 12 nations.