USAF awards contract to design SIGINT sensor
Northrop Grumman will design an open standards-based signals intelligence (SIGINT) sensor prototype for USAF. (Imagine: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded a contract to design a platform-agnostic sensor.
Northrop Grumman Corp. will design a prototype sensor, including airborne and ground components, with an innovative, open standards-based hardware and software architecture that can be scaled and configured to fly on multiple types of manned and unmanned Air Force aircraft.
This contract is part of the Air Force’s Global High-altitude Open-system Sensor Technology (GHOST) program and will provide USAF with a sensor for high-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms.
The new sensor will also support rapid system enhancement, testing, accreditation and integration at the speed of relevance long into the future as the dynamic battlespace changes.
Vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman, Ben Davies, said: 'our platform-agnostic GHOST sensor is a next-generation intelligence data collection and exploitation system'.
More from Air Warfare
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: RSAF refreshes air transport capability as part of force modernisation]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: RSAF refreshes air transport capability as part of force modernisation
Singapore is understood to have received three of four ex-Spanish C-130Hs from Blue Aerospace in recent weeks.
-
![Why the F-16 fighter jet remains a force to be reckoned with (updated 2026)]()
Why the F-16 fighter jet remains a force to be reckoned with (updated 2026)
The Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet remains in the limelight more than 40 years after its first flight. Shephard sums up the latest developments and details everything you need to know about the aircraft in 2026.
-
![Airbus Helicopters sees defence portfolio’s “strong momentum” continue into 2026]()
Airbus Helicopters sees defence portfolio’s “strong momentum” continue into 2026
The aerospace company’s 2025 performance figures revealed significant orders from various European armed forces and a boost in demand for its uncrewed offerings.
-
![January Drone Digest: MALE, rotary-wing and loitering munition UAVs dominate early 2026]()
January Drone Digest: MALE, rotary-wing and loitering munition UAVs dominate early 2026
The first month of 2026 has seen activity in the MALE, rotary-wing, and loitering munition UAV markets, with significant investments and commitments from Germany, Turkey, the UAE and the US. At the same time, questions over loitering munition performance in Ukraine highlight the growing scrutiny alongside rising demand.
