Northrop Grumman has received a contract to support the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS)-Modernisation (EGI-M) technology.
Under the $59m contract awarded by the US Air Force (USAF), Northrop Grumman will develop the critical hardware and software design for the EGI-M, as well as build hardware for integration and qualification, generate safety and civil certification documentation.
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The contract also includes qualifying the new EGI-M systems to military standards and building production units for platform testing.
The entry to EMD phase was cleared after the US Department of Defense awarded the Milestone B approval last October.
Based on modular and open systems architecture, the EGI-M system is designed to support the rapid insertion of new capabilities.
The upgraded navigation system will also feature new generation GPS receivers that can transmit the new military signals for space (M-Code).
The USAF plans to integrate the EGI-M into multiple platforms across all of the services. Exportable versions of the system are also set to be built to meet demand from international customers.
The lead platforms for the EGI-M system are F-22 and Northrop Grumman’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
Northrop Grumman navigation and positioning systems vice-president Dean Ebert said: “This EMD award brings us an important step closer to fielding a modernised navigation system that provides accurate positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) information, even when GPS is denied.
“Northrop Grumman is dedicated to ensuring the safety and mission success of our warfighters by providing a resilient assured PNT solution that will allow service members to fly, fight and win in any environment.”
Last November, the company secured a $60.6m modification contract for the Embedded GPS and INS technology.
