GOLETA, Calif., March 24 -- Indigo Systems was awarded a contract by Northrop Grumman Corp., Electronic Systems, to deliver infrared (IR) integrated detective assemblies (IDAs) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The F-35 is a supersonic stealth aircraft designed for the US Air Force, Navy and Marines, and several foreign partners. The F-35 program is the largest military procurement contract in US history, with an estimated value of more than $200 billion over the life of the program. Northrop Grumman is a key member of the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter team that won the Defense Department contract on Oct. 26, 2001. The program will provide more than 3000 F-35s over the life of the program to the US Air Force, Navy, Marines, UK Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. Other international customers are expected to order as many as 2300 of the aircraft. Indigo Systems will design, develop, test and deliver the megapixel class IR integrated detective assemblies for the distributed aperture system (DAS) on the F-35. The DAS will use a number of separate sensors, each containing IDAs, strategically mounted on the Joint Strike Fighter to support various mission functions. The DAS sensors using the IDAs developed by Indigo will capture real-time imagery that will be stitched together by an image processor to provide streaming video footage that can be displayed on the pilot's helmet-mounted video monitor. For more information, visit: www.indigosystems.comm