ST. LOUIS -- LaBarge Inc. has received an initial $1.7 million contract to build assemblies for Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division.

The assemblies will be used in Northrop's internally mounted radar countermeasures system, the AN/ALQ-135, for the F-15K fighter.

Production is expected to begin early this summer at LaBarge's Tulsa, OK, facility and is expected to continue through fall 2006. Additional orders are expected, LaBarge said in a statement.