Northrop Grumman officials needed pod structural housings for the company’s work on the U.S. Navy’s Airborne Laser Mine-Detection System (ALMDS). They turned to CPI Aerostructures Inc. in Edgewood, N.Y., for a solution. Northrop Grumman managers have issued an order for the purchase of three housings from CPI Aero for $800,000.
The ALMDS, from Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Systems sector, uses lasers to detect mines in the ocean. Mounted in an MH-60S helicopter, an ALMDS unit flies ahead of a convoy to detect undersea mines in its path.
CPI Aero engineers have built pressurized, thermally conditioned assemblies for the ALMDS electronics, which Navy personnel are testing.
Northrop Grumman executives say they expect to build 25 units over the next five years for the ALMDS program, which enters full-rate production in 2010.
For additional information, visit CPI Aerostructures Inc. online at www.cpiaero.com.
