EDGEWOOD, N.Y., 9 April 2008. CPI Aerostructures Inc. won a contract from Northrop Grumman to manufacture pod structural housings for the Airborne Laser Mine-Detection System (ALMDS). Northrop Grumman received approval for low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 2 from the U.S. Navy. CPI Aero will produce three housings for approximately $800,000.
Part of a larger group of products designed to detect or destroy mines in the sea, the littorals, on beachheads, or on the ground, the ALMDS, which is produced by Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector, uses lasers to detect mines in the ocean at depths sufficient to protect ships. Mounted in a MH-60S helicopter, an ALMDS unit is flown ahead of a convoy to determine if mines lie in a ship's path.
The pod structural housings to be built by CPI Aero are pressurized and thermally conditioned structural assemblies that contain the ALMDS electronics. Two units containing pod housings produced by CPI Aero already have been delivered by Northrop Grumman under LRIP Lot 1, and the Navy is performing operational tests on them.
In March 2008, Northrop Grumman also announced that it anticipates that it will produce 25 units over the next five years when the program enters full rate production in 2010. There is also potential for international sales.
