I put this one up because this is kind of surprising. Anyone that has done time on the big FOBs in the war will know what a C-RAM is after hearing the thing go off. It is a loud and obnoxious automated mini-gun that blasts incoming mortars and rockets out of the air. Bottom line, they save lives.
What is surprising though, is how involved contractors are in this process. According to this contract, Northrop will be providing personnel to operate these things in Afghanistan. I would think that there were military folks operating the system along with, but still, that would be a pretty damn cool job to have? Not to mention the lives you could potentially save as you zap those enemy munitions out of the sky! Here is a video of what I am talking about. –Matt
——————————————————————
Northrop Gets C-RAM Task Order
September 1, 2010,
Los Angeles-based leading shipbuilder and defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a $68 million contract from the Scott Air Force Base, Illinois based Defense Information Systems Agency. The company would provide personnel for operating Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) systems at forward operating bases in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The task order has a total potential value of $219 million collectively over a period of three years.
The contract will boost Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems business part of its Information Systems segment. The segment provides information technology (IT) systems engineering and systems integration solutions for the Department of Defense, national intelligence, federal civilian, state and local agencies, and commercial customers. Products and services are focused on the fields of command, control, communications, computers and intelligence; air and missile defense; airborne reconnaissance; intelligence processing; decision support systems; cybersecurity; information technology; and systems engineering and systems integration.