BAE Systems has withdrawn withdrew its protest of the Army's decision to award Northrop Grumman a contract to build the Common Infrared Countermeasure system to protect aircraft from infrared-guided missiles, according to a Government Accountability Office filing and the company.
According to the GAO website, BAE quietly withdrew its protest originally filed on Sept. 8 on Nov. 25.
"BAE Systems and the U.S. Army have reach a settlement agreement regarding BAE Systems' protest of the Army's source selection for the [CIRCM] engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) program," Paul Roberts, a company spokesman, provided in a statement today to Defense News.
"As a result of this agreement, BAE Systems has withdrawn its protest through the [GAO]," he writes wrote, adding, "despite our disappointment over the outcome of the CIRCM EMD competition, BAE Systems remains steadfast in its commitment to continue to develop and field lifesaving protection systems for US and allied aircrews."
When BAE filed its protest in September, it said in a statement: "Following a careful review of the debrief received from the Army customer, we have identified some inconsistencies and have filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office to ensure a full and timely review of the award decision."
Northrop Grumman was awarded a $35 million engineering and manufacturing development contract at the end of August to build 21 sets of the system to replace BAE's legacy Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasure system.
Both companies were developing offerings for the Army in a years-long competition.
CIRCM will defend against infrared missiles using a direct laser jamming capability when integrated with an entire suite of aircraft survivability equipment.
While the initial order is small, the entire program with the Army could be worth more than $3 billion, leaving the company not selected with much to lose down the road.
Email: jjudson@defensenews,com
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Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.
