• Digital Battlespace

  KC-10 Extender programme milestone

  27th August 2015

  The US Air Force (USAF) received the 150th KC-10 Extender aerial refuelling tanker aircraft from a Northrop Grumman maintenance depot, the company announced on 26 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Mincham signs Triton supplier contract

  27th August 2015

  Mincham Aviation has been awarded the second Australian supplier contract from North Grumman for the low-rate initial production (LRIP) lot of the US Navy's MQ-4C …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-8C beats previous endurance record

  26th August 2015

  The US Navy and Northrop Grumman have demonstrated endurance capabilities with the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, the company announced on 25 August. The MQ-8C …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Global Hawk demonstrates new CMMS

  12th August 2015

  Northrop Grumman has successfully demonstrated new unmanned aircraft system (UAS) mission management control features with the RQ-4 Global Hawk, the company announced on 11 August. …

• Digital Battlespace

  First Gen III F-35 HMDS delivered

  13th August 2015

  Rockwell Collins has delivered the first Gen III F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS) for the F-35 programme ahead of its introduction to the fleet …

• Digital Battlespace

  LEXIOS used at Northern Edge 2015

  10th August 2015

  Northrop Grumman’s Live, Virtual and Constructive Experimentation, Integration and Operations Suite (LEXIOS) was deployed during US military joint training exercise Northern Edge 2015, the company …

• Digital Battlespace

  MADL combat ready for USMC

  4th August 2015

  Northrop Grumman's Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) waveform has been proven combat-ready, with the US Marine Corps (USMC) declaring initial operating capability (IOC) for the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Ferra bags Triton UAS supplier contract

  31st July 2015

  Ferra Engineering has been awarded the first Australian supplier contract for the initial production lot of the US Navy's MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS), …

• Digital Battlespace

  US considers DIRCM sale to UAE

  30th July 2015

  The US state department has approved a potential foreign military sale of AN/AAQ 24(V) Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) systems to the UAE, the Defense Security …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop demonstrates OMS architecture

  22nd July 2015

  Northrop Grumman has demonstrated that the US Air Force's Open Mission Systems (OMS) architecture standards can be integrated across various platforms and systems, including UAS, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Hughes transmits through rotor blades

  22nd July 2015

  Hughes Network Systems' Defense and Intelligence Systems Division (DISD) has demonstrated the real-time transmission of video through helicopter blades using new beyond-line-of-sight (BLoS) technology. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australian Herons fly in civil airspace

  20th July 2015

  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew its pair of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron UAVs in civil airspace from a civil airport for the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin eyes export market for Legion Pod

  17th July 2015

  A new multi-function sensor pod developed by Lockheed Martin to give aircraft infra-red search and track (IRST) capabilities could soon be exported to foreign customers. …

• Defence Helicopter

  FlightPro Gen III for USMC H-1 helicopters

  13th July 2015

  Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract to provide its FlightPro Gen III mission computers for Lot 12 of the US Marine Corps' (USMC) H-1 …

• Digital Battlespace

  GPS III satellite competition heats up

  6th July 2015

  The big fight between prime contractors for the US Air Force’s follow-on GPS III satellite contract is taking shape. Thermal vacuum testing is due to …

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

  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 - 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 - 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

• 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 ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  H-1 Family of Avionics

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

• 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 ...

• ISR/special mission, Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Firebird

  Manufactured by Northrop Grumman, the Firebird is a unique platform that features different cockpit configurations. This feature allows the Firebird to be configured as either an uncrewed ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  APR-39(V)

  The ARP-39(V) is an RWR system for combat helicopters, low-speed aircraft and fast attack craft. The system comprises two dual-video receivers, four spiral cavity-backed antennas, ...

• 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, ...

• Air: aerial targets

  Chukar III

  The Chukar III, based on Northrop Grumman’s BQM-74E developed for the USN, is a high subsonic aerial jet target for export customers.

• 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: 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: 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 ...