Up to $300M to Northrop Grumman for Blue Force Tracker Encryption
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Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Carson, CA received an $18.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for Type 1 encryption provided by the programmable inline encryption device.
The contract has a period of performance of 5 years and a ceiling of $300 million.
The device will provide crytographic processing for classified communication using the US Army’s Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) system, more commonly known as Blue Force Tracker.
Blue Force Tracker is a command and control system that provides on the move, near real time, situational awareness to the vehicle mounted platform level by showing where friendly units and identified enemy units are located.
The system shares positional updates, text messages and other information with other BFT equipped units across the battlefield. The BFT network also provides commanders the ability to digitally control and monitor their subordinate units’ status and position.
Northrop Grumman, which is also the prime contractor for the FBCB2 system, will perform the work on the encryption device in Rochester, NY, with an estimated completion date of April 16/15 if all options are exercised. Bids were solicited on the web with 2 bids received by the US Army’s CECOM Acquisition Center at Fort Monmouth, NJ (W15P7T-10-D-B205). Northrop Grumman release
