Contract: Northrop, $47.2M

Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $47,176,105 firm fixed price contract for the purchase and integration of two battlefield airborne communications node payloads on two Global Hawk Block 20 aircraft. Global Hawks AF-11 and AF-13 will be provided to Northrop Grumman to integrate the BACN payload in Palmdale, Calif. Work is expected to be completed Aug. 22, 2012, for AF-11 and Dec. 15, 2012, for AF-13. The contracting activity is the Air Force Material Command, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. (Source: DoD, 12/28/11) Gulf Coast note: Global Hawk are built in part in Moss Point, Miss.