Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) to support its Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) systems, which are designed to protect aircraft from infrared surface-to-air guided missiles.

Under the terms of the five-year, $120 million ( Pounds 80m) contract, Northrop Grumman will provide repair, engineering sustainment, logistics and training services to the MoD. The work will be performed at Northrop Grumman's specialist diagnostic and technical support centre in Chester, U.K., and at its U.S. repair facility in Rolling Meadows, Ill.

"For nearly 20 years, we have been working in partnership with the U.K. MoD to give military aircrews protection from infrared-guided missiles," said Carl Smith, vice president of infrared countermeasures at Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division. "With this award, we continue that long-standing relationship and reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a world-class technical support capability in the U.K."

Northrop Grumman's IRCM systems are now installed or scheduled for installation on more than 700 military aircraft to protect approximately 50 different types of large fixed-wing transports and rotary-wing platforms from infrared missile attacks. The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat, and activating a high-intensity, laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.