Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a contract from the U.S. Navy for the continued production of the AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS).
The contract includes the production of five ALMDS pod subsystems, support equipment, spares, and technical support.
The ALMDS is mounted on an MH-60S helicopter. Flying over sea lanes, it finds and geolocates mine-like objects with its pulsed laser light and streak tube receivers by imaging, in 3-D, day or night, the near-surface of the ocean.
Doug Shaffer, director, electronic attack/maritime systems integration, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said:
The airborne sensor has the capability to keep our sailors out of the minefield and we are producing it while reducing the per-pod price over previous buys that helps enable the Navy to meet their cost targets.
Northrop Grumman has delivered 12 ALMDS pods to the U.S. Navy through four low rate initial production lots, and four pods to the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force which are currently undergoing integration and test aboard the EH-101 helicopter.
Image: US Navy