Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $225-million contract modification to develop advanced training systems and courseware for the U.S. Navy’s E-130J aircraft as part of the service’s Take Charge and Move Out recapitalization initiative. The modification, issued under a cost-plus-incentive-fee arrangement, will support the creation of comprehensive training content and simulation tools tailored for the E-130J airborne early warning and command-and-control platform.
The majority of the work will be carried out in Florida and Oklahoma, with completion targeted for March 2027. The project is funded through fiscal year 2026 research, development, test, and evaluation resources. Planned training capabilities include classroom-based instruction, live-fire rehearsal scenarios, and immersive interactive simulations that replicate operational conditions to prepare crews for demanding intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
At the same time, the United States Department of Defense has accelerated investments in modern training environments across the armed forces. In early 2024, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Mission Technologies unit secured a $195-million contract from the United States Air Force to build the Joint Training Synthetic Environment, which integrates live, virtual, and constructive training across multiple services and combatant commands.
Additional efforts include an August 2024 award to Science Applications International Corporation to provide advanced tactical training support for the United States Navy Pacific Fleet, focusing on synthetic training and joint wargaming. The United States Army also upgraded its Virtual Battlespace 4 platform in 2025 to deliver improved networked simulation and mission rehearsal tools under the Games for Training initiative. Meanwhile, in March 2025, Huntington Ingalls Industries received a $182-million contract to sustain F-16 mission training devices supporting readiness across the Air National Guard, Navy reserve formations, and active-duty forces.
