LONGBOW LLC (LBL) has been selected by the U.S. Army for sustainment work on fire control radar systems as part of a five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract worth as much as $235.8 million. The work is for post-production support services on the AN/APG-78 LONGBOW fire-control-radar (FCR) system on the AH-64 Apache helicopter for international customers. The contract covers such services as program and logistics management, repair of radar system modules, replenishing replacement parts at repair/service depots, field engineering support and operator/maintainer training. LONGBOW is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Corp.
The LONGBOW FCR is designed to operate under hostile weather conditions and over different types of terrain with a 360-deg. surveillance mode. It provides automatic target detection, location, classification and prioritization of targets. “With a tailored sustainment approach, customers have the flexibility to add services as needed based on fleet demands,” said Jim Messina, LBL president and Lockheed Martin program director. “This contract also enhances LBL's agility to achieve our customers’ sustainability requirements.” The contract encompasses 12 foreign military customers in 11 countries, three of which have been awarded, with more planned by the end of 2020.
“A significant benefit of the sustainment IDIQ contract vehicle is rapid contract award timeline for our international allies,” said Shalini Gupta, LBL vice president and Northrop Grumman director for LONGBOW programs. “LBL can now be awarded sustainment task orders within weeks after Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) signature, versus the previous timeline of years to complete the contract process.” At present, almost 500 LONGBOW FCR systems have been delivered to the U.S. Army and 12 foreign military customers.