Northrop Grumman wins $60.4 million Air Force sensor contract
The Rolling Meadows, Illinois, firm will develop an enhanced sensor for the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system under a sole-source deal set to finish by April 2029.
ROLLING MEADOWS, ILLINOIS — Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.has won a $60.4 million Air Force contract to develop an enhanced sensor for aircraft infrared defense.
The company, based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, received the cost-plus-fixed-fee award for the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) Optical Detection and Identification Node. The contract provides for development of an enhanced sensor as part of the LAIRCM system. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2029.
The deal was a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds of $11.2 million are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (see war.gov).
The LAIRCM system protects large aircraft by detecting and identifying incoming infrared threats, and the new sensor aims to strengthen that capability (see Google). Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense company headquartered in West Falls Church, Virginia, formed in 1994 through the merger of Northrop Corporation and Grumman Corporation (see wikipedia.org). The company is the fifth largest contractor of the U.S. federal government and employed roughly 95,000 people in 2025 (see wikipedia.org).
This contract represents the first award to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.recorded in the database for 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $60.4 million. It is also the first Department of Defense contract awarded in Illinois during 2026, and it stands as both the largest and smallest Air Force contract awarded in 2026, at $60.4 million.
This award was announced among one Department of Defense contract issued nationwide on July 8, 2026.
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