Northrop Grumman Awarded $14.8 Million Air Force Sensor Algorithm R&D Contract
Anna Davis07/19/2026
Contract Award Defense
HigherGov
The Air Force Research Laboratory announced it has awarded Northrop Grumman a $14.8 million contract for research and development of algorithms for multiple sensors, with completion expected by Oct. 17, 2031. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland.
Work to Be Completed Under the Multiple-Sensor Algorithm Development Contract
Northrop Grumman will develop algorithms supporting the use of multiple sensors. The award notice did not identify the specific sensor types, platforms or operational applications covered by the research.
Under the cost-plus-fixed-fee arrangement, the government will reimburse allowable contract costs and pay Northrop Grumman a negotiated fee. This type of contract is commonly used for research and development efforts when the scope or cost of technical work cannot be estimated with sufficient certainty for a fixed-price award.
The work is scheduled to continue through Oct. 17, 2031, and will be performed in Baltimore. The Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. The contract number is FA2377-26-C-B034.
The award followed a competitive acquisition that drew seven offers. AFRL is obligating $1 million at the time of award, representing a portion of the contract’s potential $14.8 million value.
The new contract follows other AFRL sensor-related research awards to Northrop Grumman, including a $17 million Combat Identification Automatic Target Recognition Technology contract covering modeling, simulation, sensor exploitation, data fusion and algorithm development across electro-optical, infrared and radio-frequency sensor modalities.
Other related work includes an $11.1 million advanced staring infrared search-and-track technology contract focused on infrared sensor capabilities and a $4.6 million ACT-IV research contract involving electro-optical and radio-frequency sensor technologies. Those contracts are separate awards and do not define the scope of the newly announced effort.
Northrop Grumman’s Air Force Research Portfolio
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation is listed by HigherGov in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. The government award notice identifies Northrop Grumman of Baltimore as the recipient of the multiple-sensor algorithm development contract.
The company has also received a separate $60 million Air Force contract for an effort titled “Veyron”. Together with the sensor-related awards, these contracts reflect Northrop Grumman’s continuing participation in competitively awarded Air Force research and development programs.
This award was disclosed by the DoW in its daily press release. Additional contract details will be available on HigherGov once disclosed by the government in approximately 90 days under FA237726CB034 after the contract is formally disclosed by the government.
