Northrop Grumman Corporation and Genohco have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in connection with the Republic of Korea’s Mine Countermeasures Helicopter (KMCH) program. The agreement supports Northrop Grumman’s longstanding industrial cooperation with the Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration and defines the work that Genohco will perform as a supplier. Under the agreement, Genohco will support the manufacturing of Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) hardware components. This MOU follows Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) 2023 contract for Northrop Grumman to provide ALMDS solutions and technical support for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Design phase of the Republic of Korea’s KMCH program. To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered 24 ALMDS units to the U.S. Navy and four units to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Richard D. Yoo, senior director of business development, Genohco: “We are honored to be working with Northrop Grumman, a world leader in the defense industry. Projects like the KMCH program allow global contractors to collaborate with Korean industry. Being part of Northrop Grumman’s supply chain network, we look forward to providing innovative solutions together in the global market.”
Janice Zilch, vice president, multi-domain command and control programs, Northrop Grumman: “Industry collaborations with companies such as Genohco and KAI are key to Northrop Grumman’s approach to technology development across the globe. Our team is committed to delivering advanced solutions to meet the security needs of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of National Defense.”
Northrop Grumman’s AN/AES-1 ALMDS detects, classifies and locates floating and near-surface moored mines. Mounted onto a variety of helicopter platforms, the system is capable of untethered day or night operations, which allow it to attain high area search rates. ALMDS also provides accurate target geo-location to support follow-on neutralization of the detected mines. Northrop Grumman’s support of the KMCH program leverages the company’s extensive systems integration and digital engineering expertise. The ALMDS pod is mechanically attached to the MH-60S with a standard Bomb Rack Unit 14 (BRU-14) mount and electrically via a primary and auxiliary umbilical cable to the operator console. Data is stored on a mass memory unit for post mission analysis. The operator’s consol is common to all MH-60S AMCM systems. The ALMDS uses pulsed laser light and streak tube receivers housed in an external equipment pod to image the entire near-surface volume potentially containing mines.
Genohco is a leading defense and aerospace communications company, located in the Republic of Korea and founded by Dr. Taesam Yoo in 2004. The company provides all-around support to their global commercial, military and government customer base by providing state-of-the-art systems in satellite communications, aerospace, electronic warfare, radar, test and maintenance, equipment, hybrid electro-optical cables, and other communication related business segments. Since its founding in November of 2004, Genohco has grown to be a KOSDAQ publicly listed leading defense and space company located in the Republic of Korea.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global aerospace, defense and security company. The majority of their business is with the U.S. government, principally the Department of Defense and intelligence community. In addition, we deliver solutions to global and commercial customers. With 95,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers. Northrop Grumman continues to expand and broaden our presence in global markets and strengthen partnerships with local industry. In addition to the United States, our focus countries are Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East.
