Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC – News) announced today that it will lead a team to compete for the U.S. Army’s Aerial Common Sensor (ACS), an airborne platform that will provide the warfighter with actionable intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition capability.
Northrop will serve as prime contractor and overall systems integrator for ACS. Other team members include AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems Corporation; General Dynamics C-4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz.; and L-3 Communications Corp., New York.
ACS will be a unique, next-generation intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition aircraft, which will-from the moment it arrives over the battle field-provide commanders in theater and troops on the ground with critical situational intelligence. ACS will detect troop movements and intercept communications and radar transmissions, allowing the Army to direct dominant and effective firepower before enemy forces know they’ve been detected. The Army has yet to determine the platform of choice for ACS.
Previous plans to use the Embraer EMB-145 could not accommodate the entire systems suite required by the Army.
