• Defence Notes

  RAF warns of data loss dangers

  26th February 2020

  Senior leadership of the RAF have raised fears of data loss from accelerated data transfer techniques, but expect that key airborne C2 procurement decisions will …

• Defence Helicopter

  CIRCM in new US Army testing

  16th January 2020

  Northrop Grumman's Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system for the US Army has undergone new tests at White Sands Missile Range. The free flight missile testing …

• Naval Warfare

  Tech demonstrations could be part of Prince of Wales 2021 deployment

  30th January 2020

  The first deployment of HMS Prince of Wales (foreground), second of the UK RN’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, in 2021 could see the platform being used …

• Digital Battlespace

  F-16 AN/APG-83 SABR​ radar installations update

  10th January 2020

  Installation of the AN/APG-83 SABR radar on US Air National Guard (ANG) F-16s at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is now complete, Northrop Grumman announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman awarded IBCS transformation contract

  8th January 2020

  Northrop Grumman will undertake a 28-month programme to transform the software development process for the US Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command …

• Defence Notes

  USAF begins search to provide F-35A with more punch

  9th January 2020

  The USAF is looking to give a considerable anti-access/area denial capability boost to its fifth-generation fighter jet. It also plans to develop ‘future advanced capabilities’ …

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2020: Viper and Gripen dogfight for Manila deal

  5th February 2020

  Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana confirmed in December 2019 that his country had downselected the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 Viper and Saab …

• Naval Warfare

  AQS-24 sonar in new testing

  7th January 2020

  Northrop Grumman’s AQS-24 mine hunting sonar has completed initial in-water testing of a next-generation Deploy and Retrieval payload, the company announced on 6 January. During …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman to carry out HBTSS work

  4th December 2019

  Northrop Grumman has received a place on the Phase IIa Prototype Payload Design and Signal-chain Processing Demonstration of the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Hypersonic and …

• Digital Battlespace

  Saab receives G/ATOR component order

  10th December 2019

  Saab will supply components and subsystems for full rate production systems for the US Marine Corps Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) under an order announced …

• Defence Notes

  Northrop Grumman opens Poland office

  25th November 2019

  Northrop Grumman has opened a new facility in Warsaw, Poland, the company announced on 21 November. Poland became Northrop Grumman’s first international customer for the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman seeks Australian industry partners

  20th November 2019

  Northrop Grumman is seeking Australian partners for its efforts to support the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) Project AIR 6500. AIR 6500 is the RAAF's …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Defying the years: Global Hawk goes from strength-to-strength (Studio)

  27th November 2019

  The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk has evolved greatly over the years, driven by technological developments and operational demands. Yet despite all these changes, it’s …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Expanding the envelope – Global Hawk set for capabilities enhancements (Studio)

  21st November 2019

  Northrop Grumman is looking to the future of the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS), with technological upgrades, new customers and an expanding mission …

• Land Warfare

  Australia requests JCREW equipment

  22nd November 2019

  Australia has requested Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) systems from the US government, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on 20 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Programme Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (Contracted) [Australia]

  Programme Background Three Contracted Units In June 2018, the Government provided Second Pass (Tranche 1) Approval to procure the first of six air vehicles, supporting ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk (Japan)

  Programme Background Selection & Contract AwardIn 2015, Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (Option) [Australia]

  Programme Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Programme Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a "leap-ahead" in long-endurance, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA)

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA)

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Data links

  Data links | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA)

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA)

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA)

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Data links

  Data links | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  USAF is working on Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft concept which may replace F-15C/Ds and F-22s in service and complement F-35s. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  H-1 Family of Avionics

  Northrop Grumman produces a family of avionics for Bell H-1-series helicopters.

• Loitering munitions

  Jackal

  The Jackal is a turbojet loitering munition designed by Northrop Grumman in partnership with AeroVironment.  It features an open architecture that provides the capability to support ...

• R-Bat

  The Rotary Bat (R-Bat) is the rotary-wing member of the Bat family of sUAS. The R-Bat was designed with Yamaha Motor USA and has been ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - MLDS, EO/IR systems

  AN/AAQ-37 DAS

  Although not electronic warfare apparatus in the purest sense, Northrop Grumman/Raytheon’s AN/AAQ-37 optronic distributed aperture system is still tactically relevant to this mission. The AN/AAQ-37 ...

• Major networking projects

  IBCS

  The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) is a C2 system designed to integrate current and future sensors. The system also improves ...

• Air: sonar systems

  AQS-24B

  The AQS-24B is an airborne and surface minehunting system, designed for the USN and coalition partners. On 21 September 2016, it was announced that Northrop ...

• Guided munitions

  Viper Strike

  The GBU-44/B Viper Strike is an air-launched precision guided munition (PGM) equipped with a relatively small shaped charge warhead. It has been optimised for employment ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  ITAS

  Northrop Grumman is a major producer of tactical information management systems for maritime patrol, ASW, ASuW, SAR and related applications. The Northrop Grumman AN/ASN-150 and ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: UAS radar

  AN/ZPY-5 VADER

  The Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar (VADER) is being developed for use with the Sky Warrior UAV to enable accurate ground moving target indication data ...

• AEW&C, Maritime patrol

  E-2 Hawkeye

  The E-2 Hawkeye AEW&C; aircraft has gone through several iterations and can be operated from land, as with Egypt and Mexico, or from a carrier, ...

• EO/IR systems

  LITENING

  LITENING is an EO/IR pod that detects, acquires, identifies and tracks targets at extended ranges. According to Northrop Grumman, it enables various missions, including precision targeting, ...

• Air: aerial targets

  BQM-74F

  Building on the BQM-74E, the BQM-74F aerial target was developed by Northrop Grumman under a USN contract. Introduced in 2005, it has a new airframe ...

• Air: Displays

  B-2 Multi-Function Displays

  Developed and produced by Northrop Grumman, new multi-function displays procured under the B-2 Display Modernisation Program will replace the ageing MDU-F3 screens on 20 aircraft.

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  CIRCM

  The Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system is an infrared (IR) countermeasure designed to defeat IR-guided Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs). It is intended to yield cost savings ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Defensive Management System-Modernisation

  The Defensive Management System-Modernisation (DMS-M) is the overarching effort to substantially enhance the Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit strategic bomber’s Integrated Self-Protection System (ISPS) which includes ...