HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- The U.S. Army has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation and its partner DHS Systems to provide mobile tactical operations centers that can be rapidly deployed for command, control and communications on the battlefield.

Under the Army's Standardized Integrated Command Post Systems (SICPS) Family of Trailer Mounted Support System (TMSS) contract, Northrop Grumman and DHS Systems will produce, integrate and deliver suites of tents, trailers and command posts complete with climate control and power for lighting, computers and large screen displays. The systems are being fielded to Army brigade combat teams, including troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector, as the prime contractor, will be responsible for program management and integrated logistics support. The companies will share responsibility for testing and mission assurance.

The Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., awarded Northrop Grumman a 60-month contract on May 30 and opened the first ordering period for systems. TMSS is potentially valued at $240 million, with the Army expected to place four additional orders over the next five years.

The contract, originally awarded in February, was protested by General Dynamics. The Government Accountability Office investigated and reaffirmed the Army's selection of the Northrop Grumman team.

"Without question, Northrop Grumman is pleased to have this protest resolved favorably," said Philip Teel, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. "The employees working on this program can again focus on delivering this urgently needed capability to the warfighter as quickly as possible."

The TMSS medium and large Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) systems, manufactured by DHS Systems, provide up to 1,100 square feet of usable space and can be set up in less than 40 minutes. The system is supported by a trailer providing electrical power and an environmental control unit capable of operating in temperatures from 50 degrees below to 131 degrees above zero Fahrenheit. Northrop Grumman produces the command post portion that completes the SICPS TMSS suite.

"We are pleased to be able to partner with a great company like DHS to meet this critical need of our Army," said Kelley G. Zelickson, sector vice president and deputy general manager of the sector's Command and Control Systems Division.

"We are delighted to continue providing our men and women in uniform with state-of-the-art command and control facilities and systems," said Jerry McAbee, general manager of the DHS Systems Huntsville facility.

TMSS will be built at DHS Systems facilities in Orangeburg, N.Y., and Huntsville, Ala. The 130,000 square-foot Huntsville production facility, which opened earlier this year, will employ more than 150 people.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

Northrop Grumman
13.06.2008