For this first contract the company will design and produce 10 ICAP III upgrade kits plus spares and install them in fleet EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. First delivery is in 2004 and Initial Operational Capability of the first squadron will be in 2005.

ICAP III also will be the airborne electronic attack weapon system for the EA-18G, the variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft that will begin to replace Prowler aircraft in the 2009 timeframe.

Work on the ICAP III is being led by the Airborne Early Warning and Electronic Warfare (AEW&EW) Systems unit, headquartered in Bethpage, N.Y. AEW&EW Systems is a unit of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.

"Providing our military with an electronic attack capability that can defeat modern surface-to-air missile systems and interrupt communications has been a technologically formidable challenge," said Philip A. Teel, sector vice president, AEW&EW Systems. "But our team has made great achievements in software design and system engineering and integration to develop this remarkable new weapon."

Teel continued, "Given the absolutely critical role that the EA-6B has played in recent conflicts and the proliferation of advanced threats that ICAP III will counter to help maintain our nation's military superiority, we are especially proud to provide this capability to the Navy."

"ICAP III revolutionizes electronic attack in much the same way that precision guided munitions have revolutionized strike warfare," said Naval Air Systems Command EA-6B Program Manager Capt. John Scheffler.

"With ICAP III, the fleet has the ability to very specifically target and rapidly respond to changes in enemy electronic threats, thereby significantly enhancing the survivability and effectiveness of our striking forces."

Scheffler added, "As the heart of the EA-18G, which will begin to replace the Navy's EA-6Bs toward the end of the current decade, ICAP III provides a solid foundation for the future of electronic attack.

"The ICAP III system is also being evaluated for incorporation in other platforms as we seek to field common, interoperable systems that meet the needs of other agencies within the Department of Defense."

"Technologically, ICAP III is a great achievement in software development and systems integration," said Northrop Grumman ICAP III Integrated Product Team Leader Sam Abbate.

"ICAP III will deliver two critical capabilities to the Navy -- the ability to protect our fliers against tomorrow's surface-to- air missiles and the ability to identify and accurately locate those threats so they can be targeted and destroyed."

In addition to the work done in Bethpage, other elements of AEW&EW Systems in Hollywood, Md., Pt. Muguand Camarillo, Calif., will participate. Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems provides a critical element of ICAP III and BAE Systems, Nashua N.H., is a key teammate.

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