Northrop Grumman Corp. has opened a new Redondo Beach facility that will research and produce high-energy laser weapons and has landed a $71 million Army contract.

The Directed Energy Production Facility will be the first facility of its kind by private industry in the U.S. and possibly the world, the company said.

The new facility will be used for volume production of lasers used in aircraft, ships and ground military applications and represents a step by the Los Angeles defense contractor to develop and market laser technology instead of merely theorizing and researching the technology for possible use.

The new building is an addition to an existing laser technology facility Northrop inherited from TRW Inc., which it acquired in 2002.

Separately, Northrop also was awarded a $71 million contract from the U.S. Army to continue support in system engineering, integration and installation of the Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar (C-RAM) program.

The contract is a follow-on award of a $38 million contract awarded in October 2005 for the rocket, artillery and mortar defense and warning system. The work, which will be based in Huntsville, Ala., is expected to be completed in September 2008.

Shares in Northrop were down 43 cents to $69.36 in midday trading Wednesday.