Northrop Grumman Corporation will produce illuminating flares for General Dynamics – Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) that will be used for the U.S. Army’s Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions’ (TAGM) unguided Hydra-70 Rocket program. The five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract award is valued at up to $80 million and is for production of the M257 visible spectrum flare, the M278 infrared spectrum illuminating flare and the newly designed M278A1 infrared spectrum illuminating flare.
“For decades we have been an industry-leading provider of high-performance tactical illumination that soldiers rely on,” said Charlie Precourt, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman. “This technology greatly enhances target detection and identification by providing an artificial light that illuminates the battlefield using visible or infrared light.”
The flares will provide greater tactical battlefield illumination in both the visible and infrared spectra. Hydra-70 illuminating flares can be fired from a variety of rotary and fixed-wing platforms, including the U.S. Army Apache and U.S. Marine Corps Cobra attack helicopters, as well as the U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon and combat aircraft of many nations worldwide. Northrop Grumman has been providing illumination technology for 40 years, including the first Hydra-70 illumination rounds, which were first patented in 1971.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers. The firm ranks No. 96 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations.
