Northrop Grumman, SAN DIEGO: The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a contract to purchase 80 BQM-74E Aerial Targets.
The BQM-74Es produced under this $25 million contract are scheduled to be delivered before January 2009. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
The BQM-74E is a subsonic, subscale, jet-powered aerial target capable of being launched from the air or surface (land or shipboard) and recovered on land or at sea.
“The BQM-74E is the workhorse of the fleet, providing over 250 flights per year in support of surface and air warfare weapons systems developmental test and fleet training,'' said Capt. Pat Buckley, Navy BQM-74E program manager. “With a reliability nearing 90%, the BQM-74E will undoubtedly continue to serve the Navy well in both the developmental test and training environments for years to come.''
“The BQM-74E's sophisticated guidance and control software combined with its proven aerodynamic performance provides the U.S. Navy robust, programmable evasive maneuvering target at sea-skimming altitudes,'' added John Salafia, director of Northrop Grumman Target Programs. “This unique capability is the result of years of dedicated research and development that leverages Northrop Grumman's unmanned systems expertise and is central to our current work on future targets systems.''
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company with 122,000 employees providing innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
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