[MilCom] New JSTARS Contract

[AllanStern at aol.com]

Northrop gets JSTARS contract
BY SCOTT BLAKE,  FLORIDA TODAY 
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s production of JSTARS military surveillance planes -- 
a mainstay of industry in Melbourne for years -- has been completed. But the 
program is far from over.
Northrop Grumman announced Tuesday the Air Force has awarded it a five-year, 
$532 million contract to make improvements to the Joint Surveillance Target 
Attack Radar System fleet.
With work done at the company's plant at Melbourne International Airport, 
Northrop Grumman delivered the 17th and final JSTARS plane to the Air Force in 
March. Now, the program in Melbourne is shifting into a different mode.
Northrop Grumman officials have said future enhancements to Joint STARS 
aircraft, along with other projects, will help ensure there is enough work for the 
company's approximately 2,000 employees in Melbourne. The company is one of 
Brevard County's largest employers. About half of the company's Melbourne work 
force has worked on the JSTARS program, which delivered its first plane in 1996.
The new contract covers engineering, design, development, testing and 
delivery of various upgrades to the fleet during the five-year period. It also 
includes items such as technical orders, support equipment and other facets.
"Joint STARS will be in the Defense Department's intelligence, surveillance 
and reconnaissance constellation for many years to come, so it's important that 
we can continue to add capability to this unique aircraft," said Dave Nagy, 
Northrop Grumman's vice president of the JSTARS program.