Marine Corps to sole-source 16 more G/ATOR radar units

The Marine Corps will procure 16 additional units of a ground-based radar system, with plans to award Northrop Grumman a contract modification in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023.

The company currently holds a full-rate production contract for 30 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) systems -- a multirole, expeditionary 3D radar capability the Marine Corps sees as critical in its force design efforts.

According to a Thursday service announcement, Northrop is the only company capable of producing and certifying the additional units due to its possession of the system’s comprehensive technical data package.

The release explains that Northrop has “asserted restrictions to much of this data,” and as a result, the Marine Corps’ Program Executive Officer Land Systems (PEO LS) cannot provide the information needed to manufacture these G/ATOR units to other prospective contractors.

The production, testing and delivery of the new units is projected to span approximately 72 months from the time of award, the announcement states.

G/ATOR will provide situational awareness to the Marine Corps’ newly announced Marine Littoral Regiments and is a component of the prototype Medium Range Intercept Capability, an air defense system intended to protect ground forces from cruise missiles and other airborne threats.