The U.S. Army’s Northrop Grumman-manufactured next-generation protection system for its fleet of helicopters has been cleared for full-rate production, according to an April 30 Pentagon announcement. The Army awarded Northrop a nearly $1 billion contract to produce the Common Infrared Countermeasures program, known as CIRCM, with an estimated completion date of April 29, 2026.
The service will start equipping its aviation fleet with the system beginning with the UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopter.
Northrop has already delivered 100 units to the Army.
The company won the contract to build CIRCM in 2015 following a head-to-head competition with BAE Systems. BAE and Northrop were selected out of four competitors — which included Raytheon and ITT Exelis — to continue technology development efforts in 2013...MORE
