Northrop Grumman Awarded $46.1 Million Navy Deal for Bomb-Jamming Gear

The San Diego contractor will supply Joint Counter Radio-Controlled IED Electronic Warfare systems, kits and spares, with a third of the funding tied to a Foreign Military Sale to Australia. Work runs through December 2028.

First Published: August 7, 2026, 1:21 PM ET

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., the San Diego defense contractor, received a $46.1 million Navy contract modification to build electronic-warfare systems that jam signals used to trigger roadside bombs, as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price award adds to an existing contract and covers Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Increment One Block One systems, retrofit kits and spares, according to war.gov. The modification also carries $4.2 million in incremental funding for engineering support services and other direct costs.

The systems disrupt the radio and cellular signals insurgents use to detonate improvised explosive devices from a distance. Such devices caused a large share of coalition casualties during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, making jamming technology a persistent priority for the Navy and the Air Force. Both branches contributed money to this award.

Australia stands among the direct beneficiaries. The contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the country, and Australian customer funds account for $15.9 million, or 32%, of the money obligated at the award date, according to war.gov. Fiscal 2026 Navy procurement funds cover 27%, and fiscal 2026 Air Force procurement funds cover 20%, with the remainder split among operations, maintenance and research accounts.

Work will run in Beaverton, Oregon, which handles 66% of the effort, and in San Diego, California, which handles the rest. The Navy expects the work to finish by December 2028. Funds of nearly $6 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maritime in Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

The award marks the 33rd contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.in 2026, lifting the company’s total contract value for the year past $7.35 billion. It ranks as the 96th Department of Defense contract awarded in California during 2026. The deal sits well below the company’s record contract of $7 billion, and within the Navy portfolio it falls between the year-to-date minimum near $9 million and the maximum of $8 billion. The Pentagon issued eight Department of Defense contracts nationwide on August 7, 2026.

For a general reader, the deal shows how counter-IED spending endures years after the largest ground wars ended, and how allied nations tap the same US supply chain for protective gear. The split funding also illustrates how the Navy and Air Force pool budgets to keep a shared capability in production.

Contract modifications of this kind are routine. The Pentagon regularly extends existing agreements rather than opening new competitions when it needs additional units, retrofit kits or spares for a fielded system. This modification continues that pattern by building on the original base contract, N00024-24-C-6400.

The next decision rests with the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maritime, which oversees delivery and any further funding actions. A date for additional obligations or a follow-on award has not been announced.

Counter-IED contracts have shaped Northrop’s defense portfolio before. The company and its rivals ramped up jamming production during the mid-2000s, when improvised explosive devices became the leading killer of US troops in Iraq. The Pentagon stood up a dedicated task force that spent billions to counter the threat. That surge turned electronic warfare from a niche line into a durable revenue stream, and contractors that secured early production, such as Northrop Grumman, have kept the work flowing through repeated modifications like this one.

This contract represents the 33rd contract awarded to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $7,352,018,349. It is also the 96th Department of Defense contract awarded in California during 2026. While this is not the largest contract ever awarded to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., whose record stands at $7,000,000,000, it is notable within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,046,496 and maximum of $8,000,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 8 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 7, 2026.