CPI Aerostructures, Inc. announced today that they completed production and delivery of an Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) pod structure for Northrop Grumman. The pod supports a contract awarded to Northrop Grumman in February 2023 by Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI), aiming to deliver ALMDS solutions and technical assistance for the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Design (EMD) phase of the Republic of Korea’s Mine Countermeasures Helicopter (KMCH) program. The EMD phase is expected to be completed in 2027. There is also the potential for a follow-on order for Low-Rate Production of eight pods worth approximately $3 million.

The mission of ALMDS is to rapidly detect, classify and localize floating and near-surface moored mines. ALMDS is capable of untethered day or night operations, which allows it to attain high area search rates. ALMDS also provides accurate target geo-location to support follow-on neutralization of detected mines. Northrop Grumman’s self-contained design allows ALMDS to be installed on several aircraft types. “CPI Aero has delivered 28 ALMDS Pod structures to Northrop Grumman – 24 for the U.S. Navy and 4 for the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, dating back to 2007,” said Dorith Hakim, president and CEO of CPI Aero. “This program is further demonstration of CPI Aero’s expertise in manufacturing airborne pods in support of multiple Tier 1 customers for multiple mission areas, including Electronic Warfare (EW) and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).”