WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States Navy issued a contract for the production of a helicopter-mounted laser mine detection system, defense contractor Northrop Grumman said in a news release.
“The airborne sensor has the capability to keep our soldiers out of the minefield,” Northrop Grumman’s Doug Shaffer said on Monday.
The Airborne Laser Mine Detection System, mounted on the Sikorsky MH-60S helicopter, identifies mines in the sea using laser technology. It was first deployed by the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet last year, according to the Navy.
Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract for the system worth more than $35 million, the Navy said in a news release. Work on the contract is expected to finish by February 2021.
Northrop Grumman is one of the biggest US defense contractors. Last year it spent more than $10 million on lobbying and almost $4 million on political contributions, Washington-based monitoring group reported.
