Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to develop electronic components made from gallium nitride, a next-generation semiconductor material. The three-year, $16.5 million contract for the Wide Band Gap Semiconductors for Radio Frequency Applications initiative is potentially valued at $53.4 million if all program options are exercised. Northrop Grumman began developing this technology in 2002 under a $5.1 million Wide Band Gap Semiconductors Phase 1 contract. Work for the DARPA program will be performed at the Northrop Grumman Space Technology facility in Manhattan Beach, CA and Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems in Baltimore, MD. Corporate News Release